I work with celebrities. After Liam Payne’s death, can’t we treat them as humans and not gods?

As a showbiz publicist, I know about the Faustian pact between famous people and the public. Stars think they understand it, but they really don’t.

As the worldwide tributes continue, the tragic death of Liam Payne at the cruel age of just 31 has shaken the foundations of how we perceive celebrity and fame. As a publicist and strategist who has worked with many famous people, I know something about this. They are just like us – but they are different.

Fame is as seductive as it is destructive. It offers an irresistible promise: transcendence from the mundane, and the opportunity to be more than just another face in the crowd. But it also demands a sacrifice: once your head is above the parapet of anonymity, it’s very rare to be able to submerge back into the crowd on your own terms. And most insiders know this, or at least they think they do.

In my experience, celebrities enter this Faustian bargain understanding, on some level, the loss of privacy it demands. Yet few truly comprehend the depths of that loss until they are fully exposed to its glare. Celebrity in 2024 is like stepping into a spotlight that continues to follow you when you leave the stage.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/22/liam-payne-death-celebrity-fame