Ex-One Direction Singer Liam Payne Dies in Buenos Aires
PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 01: Liam Payne is seen on March 01, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/GC Images)
One Direction fans are mourning a tragic loss. Today (Oct. 16), Liam Payne, who was previously a part of the British pop group, reportedly died in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31-years-old.
Payne was most known for his time in One Direction. Back in 2010, he was placed in the band with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson on The X Factor in the U.K. Though One Direction didn’t win the competition, the guys went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands in history. After the group went on a hiatus in 2016, the former members have continued to support each other’s solo projects. Horan’s “The Show: Live on Tour” visited the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on Oct. 2. Payne also went to Argentina to reunite with Horan. While there, he was also spotted dancing to “Macarena” by Los Del Río.
After Horan’s concert wrapped, Payne continued to stay in Buenos Aires with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy. Local news outlets reported this evening that he was found dead in the courtyard of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. With an investigation into his death pending, authorities are surmising at the moment that Payne appeared to fall from the balcony of his hotel room on the third floor. According to the New York Post, witnesses saw Payne acting erratically in the hotel lobby earlier in the day.
“We were alerted about a person who was in an internal courtyard of CasaSur Hotel,” Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said to Argentine station Todo Noticias. “[First responders] arrived and confirmed the man’s death. We later learned that he was a singer in a musical group. Unfortunately, he had injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall, so we had to confirm his death. There was no possibility of resuscitation.”
In 2019, Payne released his debut album LP1. The record included his hit “Familiar” featuring Colombian singer J Balvin. Back in March, he returned to the music scene with the personal single “Teardrops.”