Liam Payne, former member of the boyband One Direction, has died at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, according to local police. The incident occurred on Wednesday at a hotel located on Costa Rica Street in the Palermo neighborhood.


The Buenos Aires police reported that officers from the 14B Police Station responded to the hotel following a 911 call regarding a man displaying aggressive behavior, possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The police statement did not confirm the identity of the individual as Payne.


Earlier this month, Payne was seen attending a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan in Argentina, with fans sharing videos from the event on social media. He had also recently celebrated his 31st birthday in the UK, as documented on his Snapchat.


Born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, Payne was the youngest of three siblings and studied music technology at the City of Wolverhampton College. He rose to fame as part of One Direction, a British boyband that formed in 2010 on the UK reality show “The X Factor,” alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Horan.


In a 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Payne spoke about his love for performing and songwriting with One Direction, expressing pride in co-writing the song “What a Feeling” with Louis Tomlinson. “That was a big one that me and Louis sat and wrote together,” Payne said. “It just kinda came together. It was inspired by a Fleetwood Mac sound. It’s just a nice driving jam — imagine driving down the coast.”


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One Direction announced a hiatus in 2015, after which Liam Payne embarked on a solo career. He released his debut album, LP1, in 2019. In May 2023, Payne shared his excitement about working on a new album and announced plans for an upcoming tour.


Payne had been candid about his struggles with substance abuse, revealing that he completed treatment and celebrated six months of sobriety in the summer of 2023. His tour was scheduled to begin in South America in September, but he had to postpone the dates after suffering a kidney infection.


In March 2024, Payne released the song "Teardrops," marking his latest solo work.


Payne was a father to a son, Bear, born in 2017, whom he shared with Cheryl Cole, a former member of the singing group Girls Aloud. In a 2023 YouTube video, Payne spoke warmly about his son, saying, "He’s awesome. He’s growing up far too quickly. He’s far more smart than I think I’ll ever be. He’s a wonder."