Following the tragic death of Liam Payne at the age of 31, people are calling for change.
On Wednesday, authorities in Argentina announced that the former One Direction star had died following a fall from his hotel balcony.
Payne - who had been visiting Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy and had watched former bandmate Naill Horan in concert just days prior - had been staying at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires.
Sadly, two days after Cassidy left the country, it was announced that Payne had been pronounced dead at the hotel.
Despite authorities attending to the singer promptly, Payne's injuries were so severe that first responders stated that there had been "no possibility of resuscitation". The results of Payne's preliminary autopsy were released on Thursday, detailing that the singer suffered severe injuries that led to “internal and external hemorrhaging” from the fall.
The singer's father, Geoff, has since traveled to the city for the recognition of the body and to arrange its repatriation. Per The Mirror, the singer's body is expected to remain in Argentina for a further 10 to 15 days, until the results of toxicological tests are known.
As Payne's family and loved ones mourn and pay tribute to the star, so do his fans, with some calling for action to be taken in the wake of the tragedy.
In fact, a new Change.org petition has been set up, calling for legislation to "safeguard artists' regarding their mental health in the entertainment industry" - a change they are calling "Liam's Law".
After being set up on Friday (October 18) by an individual named Day Kv, more than 25,000 have signed the petition.
Titled 'Enact Legislation to Safeguard Artists' Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry', the description reads: "The entertainment industry, acclaimed for its glamour and stardom, is equally infamous for the enormous pressure it exerts on the mental health of artists. Resultant issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, substance misuse, and even suicide are alarmingly high."
It continues: "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."
Explaining how they want to legislation to work, the page creator writes: "Such a law would necessitate regular mental health check-ups, adequate rest periods, and the presence of mental health professionals on-set, including any ongoing support during their career.
"It will ensure a healthier, safer, and more conducive working environment for artists to cultivate their talents reducing psychological distress.
"This would also include early interventions to protect and minimize before it's too late. Furthermore, the increasing rate of musicians who die before the age of 35, is concerning. We need to act now! "
The description ends with the hashtag "#LiamsLaw".
With the hashtag already being used on platforms like X, those who signed took to the comments section to share their thoughts.
"We have lost to many young people to this and something needs to be placed to protect children and young adults," one fan typed.
A second added: "Nobody deserves to die because of receiving no help from the very industry that made them famous."
The news comes after famed songwriter Guy Chambers - who famously wrote for British chart-topper Robbie Williams - told The Observer that he believes the music industry needs to do more to protect young artists.
"I do think putting a 16-year-old in an adult world like that is potentially really damaging. Robbie experienced that, certainly," Chambers said.
"I have four children, so I think about this a lot," he continued. "I know in Robbie’s case, with Take That, there wasn’t any proper protection set up to look after what were teenage boys.
"That was a long time ago, but I don’t see much sign of change. There is not much more real care taken, that I have observed, from people involved in the big television talent shows."
Chambers added: "I would suggest that people should not be in a boyband until they are 18, and the industry should stick to that, too."
Additionally, legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen has also commented on Payne's death, saying that it is sadly "not an unusual thing in my business."
"It’s a normal thing. It’s a business that puts enormous pressures on young people," the 'Born To Run' rocker told The Telegraph. "Young people don’t have the inner facility or the inner self yet to be able to protect themselves from a lot of the things that come with success and fame. So they get lost in a lot of the difficult and often pain inducing [things]… whether it’s drugs or alcohol to take some of that pressure off."
Our thoughts continue to go out to Payne's family, friends, and fans at this time.
