Former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne said the music industry had failed One Direction star Liam Payne, who was “just a kid” when he entered “one of the toughest industries in the world”.

The British singer-songwriter rose to fame after being put together with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson on The X Factor in 2010.

Osbourne, who was a judge on the ITV talent show for seven years, made a guest appearance on the 2010 show to assist Louis Walsh at the judges’ houses phase of the competition.

“Liam, my heart aches. We all let you down,” the 72-year-old said in a post on Instagram.

“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?”

Osbourne signed off the post writing “rest in peace my friend”.

The X Factor Finalists Press Conference – London
Simon Cowell with One Direction (from left) Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan as finalists on The X Factor (Yui Mok/PA)

One Direction finished third in The X Factor behind Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.

The group released five studio albums and won seven Brit Awards, including for their 2012 debut hit What Makes You Beautiful and the track History from their last album in 2015.

Payne previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success, describing hitting “rock bottom” to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett.

He admitted his addiction to alcohol continued during the Covid pandemic, but in 2023 he posted a YouTube video confirming he was almost six months sober after nearly 100 days in a US rehab facility.

According to reports, staff at the Argentine hotel where Payne died made two calls to emergency services with audio revealing a staff member had asked for assistance for a guest who was “intoxicated by drugs and alcohol”.

Police in Buenos Aires said the music star’s hotel room had been “in complete disarray” with “various items broken”, adding that a whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone had been retrieved where Payne’s body was found.