One Direction Star Liam Payne Dead at 31 After Falling From Hotel Balcony in Argentina: Report

According to numerous Argentinian news sources and State Police, former One Direction member, Liam Payne died after falling from the third floor of his hotel balcony. Staying at the hotel CasaSur in Palermo, the British singer was 31 years old.

Head of the state emergency medical system, Alberto Crescenti, said on Todo Noticias TV channel that Payne fell into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel. Crescenti also said they were investigating the circumstances of his death and would go on to perform an autopsy. Crescenti also refused to answer questions of whether Payne jumped or fell from the balcony, via ABC7.

According to Reuters, Payne had recently attended a concert in Buenos Aires featuring his former bandmate, Niall Horan. He’d also been seen on social media riding horses and playing polo. Payne stated in a video he posted, “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” per Reuters.

Joining Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson, Payne became the fifth original member of One Direction in 2010 when the band first got together. In their years together they saw enormous amounts of success with songs such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Night Changes.”

In 2015, Zayn Malik announced he’d be leaving One Direction, and shortly after the band went on an indefinite hiatus. Following their break-up, Liam Payne started a solo career releasing the song “Strip That Down” in 2017, and the album LP1 in 2019. Additionally, Payne collaborated with artists such as Quavo, Jonas Blue, Lennon Stella, and Zedd. Payne’s songs “Strip That Down” and “For You” were both featured on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack and became Top 10 solo singles in the UK.

Liam Payne & One Direction’s Rise to Fame

Payne will always be remembered for being one of the founding members of one of the most successful boy bands of all time. One Direction’s rise to fame transpired following their formation on the British singing competition show The X Factor in 2010. Thanks to judges, Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger, One Direction started as an idea but became a reality. The band placed third in The X Factor and then became an overnight international success.

One Direction’s debut album, Up All Night, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s 200 Albums chart in March of 2012. Following the album, the band scored four No.1 hits and became one of the hottest bands of the ‘2010s.

Liam Payne is lived on through his son, Bear Grey Payne, and his millions of fans across the world.

(Photo by Marc Piasecki/GC Images)