Boybands Curse: We Reveal Young Singers Who Went Tragically Off the Rails — From Star's $260-a-Day Heroin Habit to Violent Brawls and Liam Payne's Deadly Drug Spiral
These former boyband members went off the rails after becoming teen heartthrobs.
Oct. 22 2024, Published 9:00 p.m. ET
It's not easy being a teenage heartthrob.
RadarOnline.com can reveal singers who have fallen victim to the boyband curse, including One Direction's Liam Payne and Boyzone's Richie Rock, who spent $260 a day to feed his heroine addiction.
The talented young stars struggled to cope with their global success – and their lives were derailed with drugs, alcohol and violence.
Liam Payne
Payne was tapped to form X Factor boyband One Direction in 2010.
Payne, 30, died on October 16 after falling from his third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A toxicology report revealed Payne had a deadly mix of illegal substances in his system at the time of his death, including "pink cocaine" – a combination of ketamine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy – as well as benzodiazepine, cocaine, and crack.
Witnesses claimed moments before his death, Payne was acting erratic in the hotel lobby – and said he was "f---ed up" because he had been in a boyband.
Payne died after a fatal fall from a third-floor hotel balcony.
He previously opened up about the pressure of being in One Direction and how he feared hitting "rock bottom" during a 2021 appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
Payne said: "I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it... I don’t even know if I’ve hit it yet.
"I can either make that choice now and pick my last moment as my rock bottom or I can make a whole new low."
In 2019 he revealed he "went through a number of different bits of therapy" after One Direction broke up in 2015.
The singer added: "... So I went away. I had a little thing with the drink," as he urged others to seek help.
Zayn Malik
Malik was charged with harassing Gigi Hadid's mother, Yolanda.
After being one of the five members of One Direction, Malik saw success as a global artist.
Shortly after embarking on his solo career, Malik began dating supermodel Gigi Hadid. The pair had an on-again, off-again relationship for the next several years. During that period, they welcomed their only child together, daughter Khai, in September 2020.
They called it quits for the final time in October 2021. A year later, the two got into a heated argument over their daughter.
Malik was charged with harassing Hadid's mother, Yolanda, during the argument.
Court documents revealed he yelled "stay away from my f---ing daughter" and pushed Yolanda into a dresser, causing "mental anguish and physical pain".
While he denied assaulting Yolanda, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to anger management classes and probation.
Richie Rock
Rock was 18-years-old when he joined Boyzone, but his dream of success quickly fell apart.
The singer claimed he was the group's original frontman before being replaced by Ronan Keating. He was later axed from the group by manager Louis Walsh for being "unprofessional" and late.
While he watched his former bandmates' careers take off, Rock struggled as a DJ – and soon turned to drugs and alcohol to cope.
He told the Mirror: "(Their success) drove me insane.
"I started taking drugs to block out the pain. At first it was ecstasy and loads of alcohol. Then I got into heroin and I was doing up to £200 worth in a day. If I was desperate I would go to my doctor for methadone."
After several rehab stints, Rock finally kicked his substance abuse habit in 2006.
AJ McLean
McLean confessed his drug addiction was a 'big band aid' to numb his pain.
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Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean battled a drug addiction for two decades, which he described as a "big band-aid".
McLean said he first tried cocaine while filming the music video for The Call.
He told People: "I thought drugs and alcohol would make those feelings of insecurity go away. But it doesn't work that way."
In 2001, his bandmates confronted him over his deadly habit.
Kevin Richardson reportedly told McLean during the invention he would "never trust (him) again" and would be "dead" to him if he continued using.
Over the next two decades, McLean's sobriety waned and waxed until he attended a Shania Twain concert in 2019.
He recalled: "I knew where I was going to go get my drugs. I knew where I was going to go get drunk. I knew all of it and I figured, 'Okay, it's one night. As long as I don't go past a certain time and I don't smell like it ... then come back home.
"I never slept. I missed my first two flights back home and reeked of alcohol when I got home. My wife and I had always had this agreement, which was, if I smelled like alcohol, I wasn't allowed to play with my kids — I couldn't be around my kids."
That was a defining moment for McLean, who signed up for a 12-step program online.
The singer added: "As we say in the sober world, that was my moment of surrender. That was the moment I dropped to my knees and I said, 'God, I cannot do this on my own. I can't. I have tried and I have failed miserably. So help a brother out."
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