Liam Payne, the beloved former member of the iconic boyband One Direction, has tragically died at the age of 31 after a fall from a hotel window in Buenos Aires, as confirmed by local police.
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon at a hotel situated on Costa Rica Street in the Palermo district. Police received a 911 call regarding an aggressive individual who appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, the authorities did not specifically identify the individual as Payne.
Just a few days prior to the incident, Payne was spotted in Argentina attending a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan on October 2. Videos from the concert circulated on social media, showing him enjoying the performance. He had also recently celebrated his 31st birthday in the UK, with Snapchat videos capturing the festivities.
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 a member of One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Horan. The band was formed in 2010 after each member auditioned for the UK version of the reality show “The X Factor,” quickly becoming a global sensation.
In a 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Payne shared his love for performing and songwriting, noting, “I do love being on stage.” He expressed particular pride in co-writing the band’s hit song, “What a Feeling,” explaining that it was inspired by Fleetwood Mac and envisioned as a “nice driving jam — imagine driving down the coast.”
CNN has reached out to Payne’s representatives and his former One Direction bandmates for comments following this heartbreaking news. The music world mourns the loss of a talented artist whose contributions to pop culture and his fans will be remembered fondly.