Liam Payne, a former member of the popular boy band One Direction died this morning at age 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, according to local police.
The incident occurred Wednesday at a hotel on Costa Rica Street in the Palermo neighborhood, according to the police report provided to CNN. Buenos Aires police responded to a 911 call about a violent suspect-identified as under the influence of drugs or alcohol, though the police did not identify him initially as Payne.
Payne had recently been spotted in Argentina, attending his former bandmate Niall Horan's concert on 2 October; captured in videos shared on social media. Just weeks before, he had celebrated his 31st birthday in the UK and shared moments from his birthday with fans via Snapchat.
Born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, Payne was the youngest of three siblings. He attended City of Wolverhampton University to study music technology. He first burst into international prominence as a member of the British boy band sensation One Direction with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan. In the year 2010, these five boys came together on the UK reality TV talent hunt The X Factor.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly back in 2015, Payne explained, "I love to perform, I love to write songs. He specifically remembered the pride he felt in co-writing the track "What a Feeling" with Louis Tomlinson. He described it as a "nice driving jam" inspired by Fleetwood Mac.
After One Direction announced their hiatus in 2015, Payne went solo and launched his first album, LP1, in 2019. In May, he revealed he was laying down tracks to a new album and had booked a tour.
Payne had also been open about his addiction issues. Last summer, he revealed he'd completed treatment and was six months clean. The singer had been set to embark on a South American tour this coming September but delayed the dates after a kidney infection.
In 2023 alone, Payne released the single "Teardrops." He also raved about Bear, his son with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole born in 2017. In a YouTube video uploaded in 2023, Payne said proudly of his son: "He's growing up far too fast. He's much smarter than I'll ever be. He's amazing."
This story has been updated with additional details.