Among the many things Liam Payne said about his painful life moments and the challenges of global fame, one “celebrity experience” seems to have left a lasting impression on the former One Direction member, who died Wednesday at age 31.
Payne spoke of the experience several times in interviews over the years, and it has to do with when he tried to strike up a friendly conversation with hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and his superstar friends, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jay-Z, at a star-studded event — only to be met with a reaction that left him flummoxed.
Music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs and actor Leonardo DiCaprio attend the 2004 NBA All-Star Game held at the Staples Center, February 15, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
To Payne, the encounter was “the most daunting celebrity experience of his life,” he said in a a 2016 interview with Australian radio station KIIS FM, per Pinkvilla. He didn’t say when or where the encounter occurred but suggested it happened sometime after he had become known for being one of five members of One Direction, the hit boy band that formed in 2010.
At the event, Payne described approaching Combs, DiCaprio and Jay-Z, hoping to introduce himself. “I went over to speak to him and Jay-Z, and as I shook his hand, he just chuckled. … the most evil laugh I’ve ever heard,” he said.
Payne joked about Jay-Z’s reaction in the interview, though he admitted that it was upsetting. He said he felt intimidated — “a little bit fearful of that man.” Of the three A-listers present, Payne said he thought Combs would be the most approachable. “I thought P. Diddy was a safe bet,” he said, but he soon realized he had misread the situation.
Recording artists Jay Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs pose before the 2004 NBA All-Star Game held at the Staples Center, February 15, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
Payne’s memory of the encounter, of course, takes on new meaning and poignancy in the wake of his sudden and shocking death Wednesday in Argentina.
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Payne died after falling multiple stories from the balcony of a hotel where he was staying in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Authorities in Argentina are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. Authorities told the Associated Press that he “jumped,” while a 911 call placed minutes before his death revealed that he was intoxicated, had “trashed” his hotel room and left hotel staff concerned that his “life was at risk,” CNN reported. Payne was pretty open over the years about his struggles with drugs and alcohol and his efforts to deal with stress and social anxiety.
But Combs’ recent legal troubles also make it possible to see Payne’s encounter with him and his famous pals in another new light. People could definitely say that Payne was lucky that his dealings with Combs didn’t go any further and that he wasn’t brought into the mogul’s orbit.
Combs was arrested last month on federal sex trafficking charges and has been jailed in a federal detention center pending his trial. According to the federal indictment and multiple lawsuits, the rapper and record producer liked to throw lavish parties — some of which were designed to be multi-day, drug-fueled orgies he called “freak offs.” During those “freak off” parties, Combs allegedly forced women, men and even minors to participate in sex acts for his pleasure.
Revelations about Combs’ “freak offs” have focused attention on some of his famous friends, with questions being raised about whether any attended these parties or knew about his alleged sex trafficking. Thus far, no one other than Combs has been accused of engaging in illegal activity.
In 2017, Payne played up the story of his Combs encounter for laughs in another interview in 2017 with British talk show host Graham Norton. During that retelling, when actor Salma Hayek also was a guest on the show, Payne said he felt he had “missed the mark a little bit” in approaching Diddy. He also described shaking Combs’ hand, not Jay-Z’s.
Payne said that Combs held onto his hand for quite a while and let out a strange, “evil” laugh — in a way that left him uncomfortable and made him wonder, “When is this going to end?” Hayek, listening to Payne’s story, cringed a bit when Payne mentioned Combs’ name.
