Liam Payne’s death isn’t Maya Henry’s fault – stop blaming her-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro

Maya Henry has so cruelly been the target of vitriol (Picture: Getty Images)

It was just days ago that Maya Henry unknowingly shared an eerie prediction about Liam Payne. 

Earlier this month, the American actress, 23, took legal action against the late One Direction star after accusing him of persistently contacting her following their break-up in 2022. 

Then just last week, Maya heartbreakingly revealed in an interview: ‘Even until my book was coming out, even one of his friends was calling me and my mum and being like, “This isn’t a good time for him, I don’t think you should put the book out, he’s not doing well and even if something happens to him, not only are you going to blame yourself but the whole world’s going to blame you.”

‘And so I was like, just the fact that they keep trying is such a low manipulation tactic. It’s disturbing.’ 

It is disturbing because, in a shocking turn of events, Maya is so cruelly being blamed for Payne’s death. The What Makes You Beautiful singer fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina on October 16 after reportedly exhibiting ‘erratic’ behaviour. He was just 31 years old. 

Many have pointed out the timing as it came just days after Maya went public with her allegations, however, that does not justify the horrific level of vitriol she has been subjected to in the hours since. 

The actress came forward with allegations against Liam Payne earlier this month (Picture: Getty Images)

Payne died after falling from a balcony in Buenos, Aires, Argentina (Picture: Getty Images)

X user @smthngboutuu shared a screenshot of some of the most concerning tweets blaming her for Payne’s death and it makes for harrowing reading. 

‘You [sic] lowkey evil,’ one user appears to have written. 

‘This is your fault,’ another claimed, while one X user even dared to question: ‘Now he is dead – are you happy?’ 

It’s messages like this that really show the viciousness that lurks within the deep dark depths of the internet. 

Very few details have been confirmed about the incident in these early stages of the investigation and, even when we do have the full picture, how could anyone possibly pin what happened to Payne on one person? 

Not only is it unfair but it’s irresponsible to do so. 

Maya had every right to come forward with her allegations against Payne and allow the legal process to work without fear of repercussions – to suggest she had any blame for it is the type of victim-blaming we should long be past by now. It sends the wrong and frankly dangerous message to survivors of abuse that they should silence themselves to protect their accusers. 

Payne and Maya split in 2022 (Picture: WireImage)

We didn’t get to hear Payne’s side of the story and, sadly, now never will. 

But quite simply, it’s not a black-and-white situation and it feels as though, in this day and age of social media, the nuance has disappeared into oblivion. So much of the fallout from his death has been tasteless; from photos of his body being shared online, and now the rhetoric against Maya.

Even with her accusations about Liam, she still has the right to mourn, having spent a portion of her life with him, if she feels so inclined. Naturally, she may have conflicting emotions about Payne’s death and she deserves the space to come to terms with this. 

Right now she’s on the receiving end of an unjustified pile-on and it feels very uncomfortable as her mental health should be protected at a time like this, too. 

Some have even compared the situation to the aftermath of Mac Miller’s death where his ex-fiancee Ariana Grande was inexplicably blamed for his demise following a drug overdose. Bearing in mind, Miller’s death occurred months after their split. It falls into very icky territory to link two separate situations together and arrive at a concrete conclusion, particularly when these people are known to have struggled with various personal issues. 

Women often find themselves blamed for the actions of men and, while we wait to find out how and why Payne died, it’s seriously damaging to drag Maya into the tragic circumstances. 

It’s not her fault.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More