Liam Payne, a former member of the boy band One Direction, has died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires. He was 31.
According to a police statement Payne’s death occurred Wednesday at a hotel on Costa Rica Street in the Palermo neighborhood. Buenos Aires police reported that officers from the 14B Police Station responded to a 911 call about an aggressive individual possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but did not identify him as Payne.
Payne was last seen in Argentina attending a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan on October 2, with videos from the event circulating on social media.
Recently, he celebrated his 31st birthday in the UK, sharing moments on his Snapchat. Born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, he was the youngest of three siblings and studied music technology at the City of Wolverhampton College.
Payne gained fame as part of One Direction, which formed in 2010 after its members appeared on the UK version of “The X Factor.” The group included Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Horan.
In a 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Payne expressed his love for performing and songwriting, noting that he was particularly proud of co-writing the song “What a Feeling.” He described the track as inspired by Fleetwood Mac, calling it a “nice driving jam.”
One Direction announced a hiatus in 2015. Payne released his debut solo album, “LP1,” in 2019 and had been working on a new album, expressing excitement about it in May 2023. He was also planning a tour set to begin in South America in September, which was postponed due to a kidney infection.
Payne had spoken candidly about his struggles with substance abuse, revealing he completed treatment and had been six months sober as of summer 2023. In March of this year, he released the song “Teardrops.”
He is survived by his son, born in 2017, whom he shared with former Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole. In a 2023 YouTube video, Payne expressed deep affection for his son, Bear, saying, “He’s awesome. He’s growing up far too quickly… He’s far more smart than I think I’ll ever be. He’s a wonder.”
