Liam Payne praised for ‘final act of kindness’ two weeks before death that people initially thought was a ‘prank’

Liam Payne has been praised by fans for donating to a 28-year-old man fighting cancer in the weeks before he tragically died.

The One Directionsinger fell from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16, plunging into the courtyard before medics later confirmed his death.

The hitmaker had donated £3,000 to a man named Jack on September 30 to help him pay for the cost of medical care and living expenses while he battles Stage 4 B Cell Lymphoma.

His GoFundMe mentions that Jack is unable to work during his treatments, leaving him without a steady income.

Speaking to The Mirror, he said: ‘Eventually, my neck and arm swelled to about twice their normal size and I went to get it checked out.’

Liam Payne has been praised for donating to a 28-year-old man fighting cancer in the weeks before his death (pictured in March 2024)

The singer fell from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16, plunging into the courtyard before medics later confirmed his death

When Jack saw the donation from ‘Liam Payne’, he initially assumed it was a prank.

But when he read that Liam had donated thousands of pounds to mulitple GoFundMe’s in recent weeks, his mind was changed.

He said: ‘I thought it was a prank or someone donating under a false name in the interest of preserving their own anonymity, until reports started coming out about Liam’s acts of kindness during his final days.

‘It truly warmed my heart knowing he was able to find some sort of peace through the love and support he provided to other people in his final moments.’

During his life, the 31-year-old tirelessly spent his time using his £46million fortune and his superstardom in a bid to help others in need.

Liam worked with Unicef as well as anti-poverty NGO Trussell Trust to help residents in his West Midlands hometown Wolverhampton.

From volunteering at his local food bank, to putting on his studs for a Soccer Aid match twice, the pop star had a ‘burning desire… to do good’.

A month before his sudden passing, the singer had donated £10,000 to several GoFundMe pages.

Liam donated £3,000 to a man named Jack on September 30 to help him pay for the cost of medical care and living expenses while he battles Stage 4 B Cell Lymphoma

Jack said: ‘It truly warmed my heart knowing he was able to find some sort of peace through the love and support he provided to other people in his final moments’ (Liam pictured in 2023)

His friend told The Sun: ‘Liam had all this money, and, yes, he had fancy things in life, but he also had a burning desire to use his money to do good.

‘Even in the weeks leading up to his death — and when he was battling his own demons — he was helping others.

‘He was really passionate about being a good person, especially when it came to children. He was like one of his idols George Michael in that respect.’

Previously in 2021, Payne had auctioned of his clothes and fundraised a staggering £15,000 for various charities.

It has been revealed that Payne – a doting father to seven-year-old Bear – had given thousands after reading several tragic stories on GoFundMe in a single night.

A victim of a school shooting, people requiring life-saving operations and those diagnosed with cancer were among the many individuals Liam helped that night.

He also gave £770 to a young girl who had been injured in a school shooting to help her afford her medical bills.

It has been revealed he spent £10,000 donating to several GoFundMe pages in one single night last month (L-R Harry Styles, Liam, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik in 2011)

Another £2,223 was donated to help Kailyn, a four-year-old who had experienced a stroke.

Liam said at the time: ‘As a father, it hits me differently. I have been spending the last few nights trying to finish off the donations so they can get the operations they need — they would be free in my country.

‘I can’t not look at a sick child and not see Bear. I’m not asking for people to say well done or I’m amazing.

‘What I care about is that that child gets to live the life it’s supposed to.’

His charitable work does not end there, having previously been a guest of honour at a new youth centre in Wolverhampton and later giving the facility £3,000.

During that year, he teamed up with Wimbledon champion Andy Murray as well as Fresh Meat star Jack Whitehall to perform a sketch for Unicef.

In 2022, when asked about the legacy he would like to leave and how he would want to be remembered, he said: ‘Honestly, just being a nice guy.’