Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel in Argentina, police said.
Police said in a statement that Ms Payne’s body was found by emergency services responding to a call in an upscale residential area of Palermo on Wednesday.
Payne rose to global fame as part of the popular boy band formed on TV show The X Factor in 2010, along with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
Earlier this month, Payne attended former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan’s concert in Argentina.
Buenos Aires police said officers at the scene initially responded to a report of an "aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”
Officials who arrived at the hotel were told that they heard a loud noise in the courtyard. They discovered the body there shortly afterwards. A police investigation has begun.
Emergency Medical Services Director Alberto Crescenti told local media that Payne had “severe injuries” and that an autopsy would be performed.
Crescenti declined to answer questions about the circumstances that led to Payne’s fall from the balcony.
“It’s a great day here in Argentina,” Payne posted on Snapchat hours before the incident.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it was in contact with Argentine authorities “regarding reports of the death of a British man”. No further details were disclosed.
After news of his death broke, fans began gathering outside the Buenos Aires hotel where he died, and police blocked the entrance. Some people lit candles in his memory.
“I was in the living room when my sister told me that Liam had died,” a young fan named Violeta Antiar told Reuters. “I couldn’t believe it. I came here in person to confirm it was true.”
Ms Ancher said she met Payne at a Niall Horan concert just two weeks ago.
“This is the only way to say goodbye to him,” another woman told Reuters in Spanish, crying as she explained why she had come to the hotel.
One Direction achieved worldwide success with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life,” but Payne also announced in 2015 that the band would be taking a hiatus the following year. He later achieved solo success.
Tributes continue to pour in online.
Max George, from boy band The Wanted, said he met Payne when he was competing on The X Factor with One Direction and said his death was “absolutely shocking”.
“Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and have spent some precious time with him,” he said on Instagram.
George said Payne’s support was “fantastic” when bandmate Tom Parker was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
When Parker died in 2022 at the age of 33, Payne attended his funeral.
Singer Olly Murs, who appeared on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said he was “speechless”.
“Liam shared the same passions, the same dreams as me, so it was heartbreaking to see his life come to an end now, after going through so much at such a young age, and I am so grateful to his family and of course his son Bear. “I am devastated by the loss of my father,” she wrote on Instagram.
Presenter Dermot O’Leary said on Instagram that he remembered Ms Payne fondly.
“I remember him showing up to the X Factor audition at 14 and surprising us by singing Sinatra,” he wrote alongside a photo of the pair.
“He was always fun, always had time for everyone, was polite and grateful, and was always humble.”
“I send my love and condolences to his family (and) loved ones,” socialite Paris Hilton wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Rest in peace my friend.”
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Payne first aimed for stardom in 2008 when she auditioned for ITV talent show The X Factor, but was told by judge Simon Cowell to come back in two years. I was told.
He did just that and impressed the judges even more in 2010, when he was combined with four other solo candidates during the boot camp stage and One Direction was born.
The group had four number one UK albums, four number one singles and topped charts around the world before Zayn Malik left the group in 2015 and the band went on hiatus. .
In 2017, Payne’s debut solo single “Strip That Down” peaked at number 3 on the UK Official Charts and was featured on the “Fifty Shades Freed” soundtrack, in collaboration with Rita Ora. “For You” also entered the top 10.
He started dating Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy in 2016 and they welcomed their son, Bear, together the following year. The couple broke up in 2018.
Earlier this week, another former partner, Maya Henry, told the media through her lawyer that she had issued a suspension letter to the singer.
She had posted on social media accusing him of contacting her multiple times. Mr. Payne did not respond to the charges.
