Liam Payne, a former member of the British boy band One Direction, has died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, said police in Buenos Aires.
Officers were called to the Casa Sur hotel in the capital city after receiving reports of “an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol”, said Argentinian newspaper La Nacion. According to the American website TMZ, witnesses said that Payne, 31, had been seen acting “erratically” in the lobby of the hotel.
Ambulance workers later confirmed the death of the singer, who was reportedly found on an interior hotel patio. Dozens of fans gathered at the hotel after the news emerged, many in tears.
Born in Wolverhampton, Payne found fame at the age of 14 in 2008 after auditioning on “The X Factor”, performing a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon”. He was later put into a boy group with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form the “chart-topping” One Direction, said NME. They went on to become “one of the best-selling boy bands of all time”, releasing five albums and touring the world.
One Direction in New York in 2013. From left to right: Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson (Image credit: Kevin Mazur / WireImage )
Payne “had previously opened up about his struggles with substance abuse”, said Rolling Stone, and last year revealed that he had checked into a sobriety treatment programme.
When the band split in 2016, Payne seemed “unsure what to do next”, said Alexis Petridis in The Guardian. He “dabbled in producing house tracks”, “toyed with the idea of becoming a full-time songwriter” and “attracted a succession of impressively high-profile collaborators”, including Pharrell Williams and Ed Sheeran. While his debut solo album, “LP1”, was largely unsuccessful, he was talking about making a second. “It’s heartbreaking that he never got the chance to make it.”
Singer Olly Murs, who also appeared on “The X Factor”, said Payne’s death was “devastating”, while the show’s former host Dermot O’Leary, said it was “the worst news”.