Boyzone’s Keith Duffy has said Liam Payne’s death was an “eye-opener to everybody in the music business”, adding that artists should have access to mental health support.
Appearing at the world premiere of docuseries Boyzone: No Matter What, Duffy (50), reflected on what it was like to be in a boyband in the 1990s.
“Boybands have been known to be used as puppets and a marketable commodity that have a shelf life, but fame comes alongside that,” he told the PA news agency.
“And I think the great loss of that young man from One Direction is an eye-opener to everybody in the music business.
“It’s all well and good to make money from young guys in a band. It’s all well and good to promote their brand and their music.
“Somebody needs to take care of their mental state. Somebody needs to take care and make sure that they’re okay. They need to be kind.”
One Direction star Payne died from “polytrauma” aged 31 on October 16th after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. Five people have been charged with manslaughter over his death.
Also at the premiere on Monday was Duffy’s bandmate Ronan Keating, who said filming the three-part Sky series was like “therapy”.
“It took hours and hours and hours to film this,” he said. “And it took hours for us to actually get into that head space.
“So the first hour might be quite light, but after two, three, four, five, six hours of talking about it, it’s incredible, it’s like therapy.
“You go darker and deeper into your life and into your experiences.”
Reflecting on his relationship with former X Factor judge Louis Walsh, who was the band’s manager, Keating added: “I’m very grateful for all Louis did for us.
“We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him, but some of the things he did were wrong. The choices he made weren’t right, and he’s apologised somewhat, but you know. It is what it is. It’s grand. It’s okay. You know, I’m still here.
“It’s sad in ways. I wish we had a better relationship.”
In an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother last year, Walsh told Sharon Osbourne: “He (Keating) hasn’t had a hit record since I left. He sacked me.”
Speaking about the documentary, Boyzone’s Shane Lynch said: “There’s a dark side to it (being in a band) too, and we talk about some of it, but there’s also a lot of joyous times in there.
“It was a mega time to be part of an industry called the music industry, being a pop star. What a beautiful honour to have a position like that in life.
“So it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s a lot of darkness in there but there’s a lot of joy in there, a lot of sadness in there.”
Duffy, Keating, Lynch, Michael ‘Mikey’ Graham and Stephen Gately rose to fame in the Irish boyband in the 1990s, selling millions of albums and releasing hit singles including Words, A Different Beat and No Matter What.
Gately died in 2009 at the age of 33 shortly after the band staged a comeback.
Boyzone: No Matter What is available on Sky and streaming service Now from February 2nd. – PA
