Fans of late One Direction member Liam Payne have launched a petition asking U.K. lawmakers to enact legislation that would “safeguard” artists’ mental health as they navigate the entertainment industry.
Payne, 31, reportedly had multiple drugs in his system when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week. His sudden, tragic passing left thousands around the globe in mourning.
The Change.org petition proposes new legislation — which they titled “Liam’s Law” — that would require artists to have access to mental health professionals, be given regular mental health checks and have adequate rest periods.
As of Wednesday, the petition, which was started on Oct. 18 by a fan who goes by the name Day Kv, has amassed over 68,000 signatures. The petition is “ours as a fandom,” Day Kv, who requested use of her screen name out of privacy concerns, told NBC News. “It’s for the boys.”
Day Kv said she created the petition after Payne’s death because she “wasn’t coping well, so I felt like I had to channel it somewhere.”
Payne rose to fame at 16 when he was placed in the band One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson on the U.K. reality competition show “The X Factor.”
But the fame came with feelings of isolation, he shared. On “The Diary of a CEO” podcast in June 2021, Payne said that he struggled with “pills and booze” and “moments of suicidal ideation” while in One Direction. He said that he “needed to stop or it would kill me.”
Kv said she had been inspired to petition U.K. legislators to better protect young artists because of Payne’s remarks on the same podcast about the lack of support and mentorship young performers have.
“This was very close to Liam’s heart,” she said. “And I thought, what better way to push something that will actually make a difference to artists in the future.”
Hilary Gleason, executive director of the nonprofit Backline, which connects music industry professionals to mental health resources, said that musicians face unique challenges that can put a strain on their mental health.
These can include revisiting difficult moments in life to inform their songs, keeping up with tight release schedules, coping with demands of touring and dealing with the pressure from fans.“It can be hard to advocate for that when you know everyone around you is really excited about the momentum you have,” said Gleason. “So I think there’s a snowball effect sometimes where things do take off really quickly, and it feels like if you need time off or you need to rest, that could take away from the moment.”
Gleason said this issue can be difficult to legislate because there is not a clear idea about whose responsibility it is to ensure an artist’s well-being. Some management companies and agencies have begun to build out divisions to address their artists’ health, but not everyone, such as independent artists, has access to those resources.
Still, Gleason said that there has been a “real-time” shift in the culture that has encouraged artists to prioritize their health.
“Fans are often the ones that are calling for that and want their artists to be around in the long term,” Gleason said. “They’re willing to accept a canceled tour date, or some time off from social media or whatever it might be because I think more and more, we’re understanding that artists are human.”
While the online petition has gotten a lot of support from fans, it is unclear if lawmakers in the U.K. are looking into the issue.
Day Kv said plans to bring the petition to her local members of Parliament (MPs) once it reaches 100,000 signatures.
“I think the more we shout, the more people listen,” she said.