The online petition calling for changes to laws governing the entertainment industry following the death of singer Liam Payne has reached an impressive new milestone.
The former One Direction star died at age 31 on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
In the days following his tragic death, attention has turned to the mental health pressures faced by artists like Payne, who first rose to fame as a member of the chart-topping boyband when he was just 16.
The petition, launched on Change.org to “safeguard artists’ mental health in the entertainment industry,” had garnered 24,893 signatures by Monday afternoon. At the time of writing, that number has now surged to 115,696.
Day Kv, who created the petition, wrote: “In recent news of Liam Payne’s tragic death as many others, the entertainment industry needs to be held accountable and be responsible to the welfare of their artists.
“We seek to implore lawmakers to create legislation safeguarding the mental health of artists within the industry.”
They called for “regular mental health check-ups, adequate rest periods, and the presence of mental health professionals on-set, including any ongoing support during their career”.
A number of celebrities have echoed this sentiment, including Sharon Osbourne, 72, who said on social media: “We all let you down”.
The wife and music manager of rocker Ozzy Osbourne was a judge on The X Factor’s early series from 2004 to 2007, but was no longer a part of the show when Payne was put in One Direction by Simon Cowell and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger.
Sharon, who returned for one series in 2013, wrote: “Liam, my heart aches. We all let you down. Where was this industry when you needed them? You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner? Rest in peace my friend.”
The 52-year-old Irish singer - who also shot to stardom in a boyband - said fame can be “very damaging” with “nobody honest” around to help those struggling.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: "Rip Liam Payne. Such tragic news. I think it would be a wise move for record companies to have psychologists on their books from now on in his memory as a duty of care for the vulnerability of their young talent.”
He added: “Fame can be very damaging especially in today’s world. Lots of money. Nobody to help. Lots of yes people. Nobody honest."
