Liam Payne suffered a heartbreaking setback to his music career just days before his death, when the solo singer was dropped by his record label Universal Music, it has been claimed.

According to the Daily Mail, Liam was axed by the record label in the days preceding his death, with a source telling the publication: “Liam’s advance was massive and he didn’t recoup [it]. Out of all of the One Direction boys, Liam was on the wrong path musically.”

Having kickstarted his career with One Direction back in 2010, Liam had originally been signed to Sony while the band were still performing, but following their decision to disband, the popular performer was able to ink a solo deal with rival record company Capitol Records in July 2016. The label is a subsidiary of Universal, but in the company’s recent reshuffle he came under the main label – much to his delight, as the singer had always been “thrilled” to be working with the highly sought after company.

Under their management he released one solo album LP1 in 2019, however it failed to dazzle audiences with many reviews of the album mixed to negative, with much of the criticism stemming from the fact that Liam’s album lacked a distinct identity. The album peaked at number 17 on the UK album chart, but left the Top 50 the following week.

Although the reception wasn’t quite the one Liam had anticipated, the singer remained undeterred and had been working on his second album, however it is understood that the release of his second album was put on hold prior to Universal dropping him.

Following Liam’s tragic death on Wednesday, following a fall from a balcony while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his former label The Universal Music Group shared a tribute to the singer on social media, which read: “We are devastated by the tragic passing of Liam Payne. His legacy will live on through his music and the countless fans he inspired and who adored him”

“We send our deepest condolences to Liam’s family and loved ones.”

Capitol Records also went on to then repost the same statement as they remembered the late singer.

The unexpected blow to Liam’s career in the lead up to his death was just one of several setbacks to befall the star in recent weeks, with his own publicist having resigned earlier this month leaving him without any publicity relations to guide him through a turbulent few weeks.

The resignation coincided with actions taken by his ex-fiancé Maya Henry, who recently began legal proceedings against the singer after she accused him of repeatedly contacting her.

“It is like all of Liam’s music career that he had built up since he went solo eight years ago was crumbling, there was very little left for him,” claimed a source. “It must have absolutely devastated him.”

In the wake of Liam’s death fans and famous faces alike have taken to social media to share their grief over the much loved performer’s passing, including his former One Direction bandmates. In a joint statement shared on Thursday evening, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik expressed their “devastation” writing “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,’ they said.

“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.

“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

All three stars then later went on to share their own personal tributes to Liam individually, with Harry telling his followers he would “miss him always” in a poignant post.

“His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” wrote Styles. “ Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.”

“He was warm, supportive and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”

Louis Tomlinson meanwhile heartbreakingly revealed that he was “really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye.” In a particularly emotional moment, Tomlinson said he would be an uncle to Payne’s son Bear if he “ever needs me” while also vowing that he would ‘tell him stories of how amazing his dad was’.”

Liam’s former bandmates shared an emotional tribute to the singer