British musician and former One Direction member Liam Payne has died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, multiple media outlets reported. He was 31 years old.
Buenos Aires police told the Associated Press that Payne suffered “very serious injuries” after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel near Palermo, the capital of Argentina. Medical staff confirmed his death at the scene, the statement said.
“Paine threw himself from the balcony of his room,” Buenos Aires security spokesman Pablo Policicchio told The Associated Press.
He said police were called to the hotel following an emergency report of an “aggressive male who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol”. Arriving police heard a bang and found Payne’s body in the hotel’s courtyard, Policicchio said.
The news first appeared in Argentine media, which reported that police were investigating whether the death was accidental or self-inflicted.
The director of the Buenos Aires ambulance service SAME confirmed the death to the TN store.
Get local breaking news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up to have breaking news alerts delivered straight to you as they happen.
“He suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of the fall,” Alberta Crescenti said in a translated statement to TN. He declined to answer further questions but confirmed an autopsy would be conducted.
Payne has been vocal about his struggles with alcoholism, posting a video on his YouTube channel in July 2023 in which he said he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
Global News reached out to Payne’s rep for confirmation but did not immediately hear back.
Born in Wolverhampton, England in 1993, Payne rose to fame as a member of the disbanded pop band One Direction along with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
After each singer failed to advance to the UK singing competition. x factor As a solo act, record executive Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined the five into one group in 2010.
The new boy band went on to place third in the competition and embark on a wildly successful career, selling 70 million records worldwide. They had a loyal fan base, many of them teenage girls who became known as “directors.”
Their debut album reached #2 in the UK and #1 in the US, and spawned the Billboard Top 10 hits “That’s What Makes You Beautiful” and “One Thing”. Their next four albums topped the charts in both countries and elsewhere.
The group disbanded in 2016, with members pursuing various projects, including solo careers. Payne has released his only studio album. LP12019. His last release was a single called “Teardrops” that came out in March.
Argentine media reported that Payne was in Buenos Aires to see a concert by his former bandmate Horan.
Payne has a 7-year-old son, Bear Gray Payne, with his ex-girlfriend, musician Cheryl, known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud. she is x factor One Direction season judge.
He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
—With files from The Associated Press
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
