KENNEDY: Liam Payne’s death reminds me of all the tragic young stars I knew – and what drove them to an early death

Liam Payne had been crying out for help for years.

Maybe no one could have saved him.

To the casual fan, it seemed like the handsome young One Direction star had it all. He was a father who was known by friends as a cheerful, optimistic person. As a former member of a legendary band, he had sold an incredible 70 million records. It was even rarer that he also had success as a solo artist.

How could someone like this spiral so horribly out of control that he gave in to a reckless drug binge and fell to his death?

A woman who stayed at the same Argentinian hotel where Liam died on Wednesday claims to have recorded some of his last words.

She says he was acting erratically in the lobby, apparently completely crazy, and after smashing his laptop he told her: “I used to be in a boy band – that’s why I’m so shitty.”

“I used to be…”

What a tragic admission. And so insightful.

When I heard of Liam’s death, memories of the people I knew from my days as an MTV video jockey in the ’90s flashed through my mind.

I’ve seen a lot of guys go from smelly string pluckers in bars to worldwide sensations who made grown men cry. I thought of Kurt Cobain, Scott Weiland, Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell, Michael Jackson and – for me the sweetest of all – Shannon Hoon.

Blind Melon’s lead singer, Shannon, was only a few years older than me when we met in 1993.

In our first interview, he gave me a hard time when he derogatorily referred to him on air as Shannon “Who Cares” after he sang backup in the music video for the Guns N’ Roses song “Don’t Cry.”

Before Blind Melon’s “No Rain” (Remember the Bee Girl? Nothing like the ’90s!) absolutely exploded, Shannon was a goofy, friendly, and eager rocker.

I immediately identified with his charming Midwestern energy. I had lived in his hometown of Lafayette, Indiana, the birthplace of Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose (Rose and my brother attended the same preschool).

Shannon seemed familiar – like a big brother.

But at each of our subsequent meetings, his light dimmed. Within a year he had gone from an enthusiastic sweet girl to an egomaniacal weirdo.

I had been around musicians long enough to see that Shannon was slipping into a divide. The fame drove him crazy.

Imagine playing in front of 80,000 people who love you so much that they scream back your songs so loudly that you can’t even hear your own instruments.

What are you doing? Many meet as many girls as possible and keep the parties going as late as possible – night after night, year after year – and surround themselves with enablers with bags of drugs to ensure the tantrum continues to rage.

Of course, this comes with a price.

Blind Melon’s lead singer, Shannon (below, left with band), was only a few years older than me when we met in 1993.

When I heard of Liam’s death, memories of the people I knew from my days as an MTV video jockey in the ’90s flashed through my mind. (Pictured with girlfriend Kate Cassidy in August).

In an interview in 2021, Liam Payne said that his band managers would put the One Direction kids in a hotel room for their safety after their unimaginable superstar status became too much.

“Of course, what’s in the room? Minibar,” Payne recalled. “At one point I thought, ‘Well, I’ll throw a party for one’.”

Fame makes you lonely. The alcohol and drugs are ruinous. And then it becomes impossible to live without everything.

This is what happened to Shannon. He died alone and face down on a tour bus in 1995 of a heart attack after taking cocaine.

Like Liam, he left behind a child and an audience angered by his latest work.

It is now reported that Liam’s label, Capitol Records, dropped him days before his death. His PR manager resigned earlier this month. And his girlfriend Kate Cassidy had left him alone in Argentina.

In the coming days and weeks we will learn the truth about Liam’s death and how and why he fell to his death from that balcony.

But I already know what killed Liam – fame.

Fat Uncle Sam

Elon Musk, who recently lost 30 pounds using weight loss injections, is threatening to put Uncle Sam on a diet.

Trump has said that if he is re-elected, he would appoint Elon as “cost-cutting secretary.”

But Musk will soon discover that there is no Ozempic cure for a bloated bureaucracy.

Simply the worst!

Why can’t mother-daughter duo Heidi Klum and Leni stop posing for nearly naked photos together?

In their latest ad for the lingerie brand Intimissimi, they’re almost trembling: 51-year-old Heidi looks less like the once incomparable German crown jewel and more and more like a sleazy Berlin pimp.

Why can’t mother-daughter duo Heidi Klum and Leni stop posing for nearly naked photos together?

Low interest

What Is Victoria’s Secret? Nobody actually cares.

After boosting sales by tying the panties of testy posers like Megan Rapinoe and “body positive” runway stompers with a BMI more in line with Joe Biden’s age, top executives brought back the old-fashioned fashion show after a five-year hiatus.

The problem: We’ve all moved on…and now buy our underwear at Target (but you can blame Biden for that!).

Needs a new Taylor

Isn’t Taylor Swift a billionaire? Can’t she afford for her assistant to pack a steamer for the private jet – and maybe a pair of nicer shoes too?

For someone who is such an artistic and cultural tour de force, she drops the football every time she opens her closet in search of a recognizable sense of style.

Isn’t Taylor Swift a billionaire? Can’t she afford for her assistant to pack a steamer for the private jet – and maybe a pair of nicer shoes too?

Neat Veep

Whatever JD Vance is doing, it’s working.

He has denied using guy lines, but I don’t care if he goes full throttle on November 5th.

With his newly slim physique, dreamy blue eyes, wrinkle-free forehead and permanent tan, this couch-hopper has become a real lady-killer!

Away from the roller

Meanwhile, Tim Walz is making the most patronizing campaign appearance in American history.

After admitting he’s an idiot when he falsely commented about being in China when he wasn’t, he now seems to be telling us he’s a complete idiot.

“I don’t even know what a venture capitalist does!” he said this week, in what was meant to be an insult to his MAGA colleague.

Hey Tim, stupid behavior doesn’t make you likeable…or electable.