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‘Just devastating’: Wolverhampton mourns its local hero Liam Payne

Payne grew up in Bushbury, a suburban area north of the city, where he lived with his parents and two elder sisters

Before he skyrocketed to fame as a fifth of the boyband One Direction, Payne was an ordinary teenager, studying music technology at the local college and competing in cross-country running competitions across the West Midlands. Photograph: Fabio de Paola/The GuardianPayne grew up in Bushbury, a suburban area north of the city, where he lived with his parents and two elder sisters, and the family were close. Simon Bennett, the councillor for Bushbury North, lived around the corner from Payne growing up and they went to the same secondary school, St Peter’s Collegiate academy, two year groups apart.

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