Boy George regrets being critical of Liam Payne before he passed away

The 63-year-old star said on 'The High Performance Podcast': "I'd actually put a message under a post saying, 'He's off his nut,' which wasn't very nice, but I felt it.

"I felt like he was out of control. And when [his death] happened, it just hit me. Same way that Amy Winehouse hit me just because it felt so senseless."

George recalled feeling shocked when he learned about Liam's passing.

The pop star admitted that he initially struggled to comprehend the news.

He said: "You know, I was up at 5 am and it came up on the American news and I literally was like 'What the f***?'. I was literally like 'No this isn't real.' I couldn't take it in and I think everybody felt like that."

George confessed to feeling "very sad" about Liam's death.

He shared: "I watched the dad [Geoff Payne], and it was heartbreaking. I was quite tearful about it. I really felt very sad."

Liam was laid to rest during a private funeral service on Wednesday (20.11.24).

The singer - who was best known for starring in One Direction - was buried at St Mary's Church in Amersham, south-east England.

The service was attended by Liam's family, including his parents Geoff and Karen, and his former One Direction bandmates, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

Cheryl, Liam's former partner and the mother of his seven-year-old son Bear, was among the mourners at the service, while Liam's girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, attended the funeral alongside Damian Hurley, the son of actress Elizabeth Hurley.