Liam Payne’s ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, has spoken out about the singer’s frequent mentions of death, which she claims he used as a “manipulation tactic” in the days leading up to his tragic passing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the age of 31.
In an appearance on The Internet Is Dead podcast, published on Monday, October 14—just two days before Payne’s death—Maya, an influencer who dated the One Direction star from 2018 to 2022, discussed his struggles with mental health and the alleged emotional abuse she endured.
“He would always message me, even after we broke up, saying, ‘Oh, I’m not well,’” Maya recalled. “He would often talk about death, saying, ‘I’m going to die, I’m not doing well.’”
Maya, 23, described these messages as a way for Payne to guilt her into feeling sorry for him, even though they were no longer together. “It was always a manipulation tactic,” she said.
She added, “There was one time I tried to get him help, but he refused it.” Maya also revealed that Payne would text her mother, saying he wasn’t doing well and asking Maya to contact him when she didn’t respond.
“This was always the same cycle,” she explained.
Payne tragically passed away on Wednesday, October 16, after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
While the exact cause of death was not immediately released, police suggested that Payne may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident. He sustained “extremely serious” injuries that ultimately proved fatal.
