Liam Payne Dead: One Direction Member Dies After Fall From Hotel Balcony in Argentina

Liam Payne , who rose to stardom after joining One Direction in 2010, has died at the age of 31. The singer fell off the third floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina on Wednesday, October 16, In Touch confirmed.

The incident took place at CasaSur Palermo Hotel where Liam checked in just three days prior. Witnesses told TMZ that Liam was acting "erratic" in the hotel's lobby earlier in the day and claimed he "smashed his laptop and had to be carried back to his room."

In Touch learned that a 911 call was received at 5:04 PM, but by the time authorities arrived Liam was found dead in the hotel's internal courtyard. "There was no possibility of resuscitating him," authorities said. "He had extremely severe injuries that were incompatible with life due to the fall."

Liam and girlfriend Kate Cassidy arrived in Argentina on September 30 to attend former bandmate Niall Horan's concert on October 2. Videos showed him interacting with fans in the crowd and vibing to the music while in a private suite at the show. Kate left the South American country on October 14, leaving Liam alone, In Touch learned .

Liam had previously opened up about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction . He said that during the height of 1D, his days were filled with "booze and pills" and that he had "moments of suicidal ideation." In a 2019 interview, he added, "It was fun, we had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic."

In June 2023, he said he was six months sober after a 100-day rehab stint.

"I just kind of feel like I've got more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me ... I just feel like I've got more of a handle on it," he said in a YouTube video at the time. "I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognize anymore. And I'm sure you guys didn't either. I was in bad shape up until that point and I was really happy to kind of put a stopper to life and work."

When Liam auditioned for The X-Factor and was eventually placed in One Direction, he was just 16 years old. He was part of the band with Harry Styles, Niall, 31, Zayn Malik and Liam Tomlinson . The band went on an indefinite hiatus in January 2016 and Liam has since been pursuing a solo music career. He also welcomed a son, Bear , with ex Cheryl Cole in 2017.

Just days before Liam's death, his ex Maya Henry "issued a cease and desist" against him "following the emergence of new and concerning information," her lawyers told Daily Mail . She reportedly claimed that Liam would not stop contacting her and was obsessively trying to get in touch with her friends and family. The two were engaged before calling it quits in 2022. In addition to taking legal action against Liam, Maya also accused him of getting One Direction fans to gang up on her on social media.

Liam was in a relationship with Kate, whom he started dating in October 2022, at the time of his death.