One Direction star Liam Payne dies aged 31 as authorities investigate how singer fell from hotel balcony – latest

One Direction star Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires , Argentina.

Authorities say they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

Tearful fans have gathered outside the hotel to mourn the death of the singer with some lighting candles, singing One Direction songs or holding moments of silence.

Tributes from across the music and entertainment industry have quickly poured in for Payne. While none of his former One Direction members have spoken out yet, Styles’s mother posted a broken heart emoji on Instagram with the caption, “Just a boy.”

Born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England, Payne rose to fame while competing on season five of The X Factor in 2008 in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.

After the audition stages, Cowell grouped Payne with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. One Direction went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne had a son, born in 2017, with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole.