FILE: British singer Liam Payne attends the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 20, 2018 in New York City. – British singer Liam Payne, former member of the group One Direction, died Wednesday aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, police in Buenos Aires said. | Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP
Buenos Aires, Argentina–British singer Liam Payne, a former member of the best-selling pop group One Direction, died Wednesday, October 16, 2024, aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine police said.
“Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo,” a police statement said.
The singer had suffered “very serious injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall,” the head of the city’s SAME emergency medical service, Alberto Crescenti, told local television, adding “there was no possibility of resuscitation.”
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Crescenti said emergency personnel rushed to the Casa Sur hotel in the capital’s Palermo neighborhood after a 911 call was made at 17.04 pm local time (2004 GMT).
They arrived seven minutes later and “verified the death of this man, who we later learnt was a singer.”
Pablo Policicchio, the spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, also said in a statement to The Associated Press that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”
He said police were dispatched to the hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Arriving police heard a thud and found Payne’s body in the hotel courtyard, Policicchio said.
Payne had been vocal about struggling with alcoholism, posting a video in July 2023 to his YouTube channel where he said he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.
One Direction fans flocked from across Buenos Aires to the Casa Sur Hotel after the news broke, forming lines that spilled into the street as police stood sentinel outside. Young women at the scene expressed shock and heartbreak.
“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told The Associated Press. Video showed dozens gathered on the cordoned-off street outside the hotel, with many recording videos on their cellphones. Forensic investigators were seen exiting the hotel, where Payne’s body remained Wednesday evening.
Boy band sensation One Direction emerged in 2010 when then-teenagers Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik appeared on British television contest “The X Factor.”
After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined them into what would become one of the most successful boy bands.
The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits like “What Makes You Beautiful.” They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016. They had a loyal fan base, many of whom were teen girls, who became known as “Directioners.”
Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud. He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
In 2016, the group announced it was going on an indefinite hiatus, but not splitting up.
Payne announced he was working on a solo album that same year, following in the footsteps of other band members.
He had attended a concert by former band mate Horan in Buenos Aires on October 2, according to Billboard magazine.| With AP report