NEWS
Justin Bieber is empathizing with grieving fans following the death of Liam Payne.
Five days after the former One Direction star died at 31 years old after falling from the third story of his hotel in Buenos Aires, the “Sorry” singer reposted an emotional reel of videos taken at fan memorials for Payne all around the world via his Instagram Story on Monday (Oct. 21). “Just remember, you are allowed to grieve as a fan,” a voice-over on the video states.
“You are allowed to love someone you never met,” it continues. “You are allowed to admire someone for their art. You are allowed to cry, to pray, to feel like a part of you is gone. Even if they never knew your name, they changed your world.”
Over the video, the “Baby” artist added a simple heartbreak emoji.
As seen in the video shared by Bieber, fans have been gathering in London, Glasgow, Paris, Sydney, New York City and more locations to sing and cry together while mourning Payne with flowers, photos and candles. The musician died Oct. 16 and is survived by a 7-year-old son, Bear.
Payne is believed to have been alone when he died, according to a recent preliminary autopsy report. Moments before he fell to his death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room”; by the time police arrived in response, the “Strip That Down” artist had already fallen and suffered multiple fatal hemorrhages.
The initial autopsy also concluded that Payne likely had drugs in his system when he died, which new toxicology test results confirm. Among those substances was a recreational drug called “pink cocaine” — a mix of substances that often contains ketamine combined with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids and/or psychoactive substances — and authorities are currently investigating who provided Payne with the drugs.
Bieber is just the latest star to post in the aftermath of Payne’s death, with the late singer’s sisters, girlfriend and former One Direction bandmates all posting statements over the past few days. In 2022, Payne opened up about a time he met up with Bieber in a trailer to defuse perceived tensions between 1D and two-time Grammy winner, telling Logan Paul: “I was like, ‘Dude, I’ve always felt for you … I’ve done all the things you’ve done and I’ve never been caught for any of them.'”
Payne also said at the time that he’d told Bieber that they both “suffer from the same disease,” but that he’d at least had bandmates to lean on in hard times. “‘And I know in your camp you’re you and there’s no one like you, so you can’t turn around and have that shoulder,’” Payne recalled telling Bieber. “And he was like, ‘Bro, that’s giving me chills.’”
NEWS
Oliver Tree’s team has provided a new update following the singer’s death in a helicopter crash on June 14, confirming that a new artist grant will soon be established in his memory to help creatives secure funding, a plan he had detailed in his will before his passing.
Accompanying a collection of photos highlighting Tree’s performances, travels and creative work through the years, a post shared Sunday (June 21) on his Instagram account revealed that the musician’s remains have been brought back to California, the state he called home and where he will be laid to rest. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon,” the caption reads. “This is something that Oliver had put together before his passing.”
“We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish,” the statement continued, adding that “the constant love, support and positivity” shown by fans throughout the past week has helped his “family, friends and collaborators make it through these extremely difficult times.”
Tree was among six people who lost their lives in a helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro. The musician was in Brazil for his The World’s First Tour run and had performed what would ultimately be his final concert on June 6 in São Paulo. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, along with pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Just months before his death, Tree discussed his plans to direct his fortune and future earnings from his music toward a grant program for artists during an appearance on the Zach Sang Show. “I take no credit for anything I’ve ever done,” he said during the April interview. “Furthermore, I don’t believe that any of the wealth or things that get made from it is mine. So when I die … my will is set up so that when I pass, my family, nobody is going to get a penny.”
“If I have a wife or kids or anything, they’re not getting a penny,” he added at the time, explaining that the initiative would focus on helping artists create work rather than funding education. “I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement, but there’s not gonna be a silver spoon. All the money is going to go back to artists.”
