J, ABZ, RITCHIE

The first time around we were young kids thrust into fame... We got half an hour’s media training from Kate Thornton

- BY HANNAH BRITT

Liam Payne's death had a chilling resonance for former members of Five. The boyband rocketed to fame long before One Direction with 1997 hit Slam Dunk (Da Funk).

A four-year whirlwind of success and scandal then followed for members Abz Love, Ritchie Neville, Jason “J” Brown, Sean Conlon and Scott Robinson.

But 11 top 10 singles, four top 10 albums and a BRIT Award came with a price for the now middle-aged men, who have just completed a 25-date reunion tour playing to more than 250,000 fans.

Scott, 46, says: “Liam Payne is an absolute tragedy.”

Liam died aged 31 on October 16, 2024, after falling from a fourth-floor hotel balcony in Argentina.

Ritchie, also 46, adds: “It did resonate. And I think it affected us slightly differently than perhaps it would somebody ‘normal’, because we’re in a band - and it was in a hotel room.”

They certainly understand how easily partying can tip over into alcohol abuse, as the pressures of fame led to Five (also known as 5ive) gaining a reputation for wild behaviour.

Ritchie and J, now 49, were arrested and charged after a drunken brawl in Dublin, once attacked each other with baseball bats, and took mentor Simon Cowell's car for a joyride.

In 2001, with over 20million records sold, the band split after “serious mental health issues” for Sean, now 44, while Scott “had a breakdown”.