Former One Direction member Liam Payne, 31, was found dead after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, local officials said.
Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in “extremely serious injuries.” Medics confirmed his death on the spot, the statement said.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said on Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that Payne fell into the hotel’s courtyard, but declined to answer further questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped off the balcony or fell.
Crescenti told Todo Noticias that authorities were investigating the circumstances of his death and conducting an autopsy.
Argentine media reported that Payne was in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan.
Payne was one of five members in the band One Direction, which formed in 2010 when they each auditioned for the British singing competition series The X Factor.
After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined them into a group that would go on to become an extremely successful boy band.
The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits like What Makes You Beautiful. They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016. Their loyal fan base of mostly teen girls became known as “Directioners.”
Once the group disbanded, Payne pursued a solo career, putting out the album LP1 in 2019. His last release was a single called Teardrops, in March.
Paramedics, police and a crowd of people holding up smartphones gathered outside the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina’s capital after local officials reported that former One Direction member Liam Payne, 31, died after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony.
Payne had a seven-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl, who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud.
He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return The Associated Press’s emails or calls.
