Liam Payne, a establisher member of the hit band, One Direction, has died at the age 31 in an incident in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne is understood to have drdisclose from his third-storey balcony of CasaSur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of the city. According to authorities, it is as yet unaccomprehendledged whether Payne’s death was inadvertent, down to foul join or self-destruction.
Local eunitency services validateed his death, which has left fans and fellow artists in shock.
One Direction, which disbanded in 2015, had 29 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 and, as of 2020, had sbetter more than 70 million records worldexpansive, making it one of the best-selling “boy bands” in history.
Who were Liam Payne and One Direction?
Payne, the youthfulest of three siblings, was born in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands area of the United Kingdom. He studied music technology at the City of Wolverhampton College, laying the createation for his future atgentle in the music industry.
At the age of 14, Payne made his debut on the fact music competition TV show, The X Factor, in the UK in 2008 but did not produce it past the initial stages. Undeterred, he returned two years defercessitater, deinhabitring a strong rfinishition of “Cry Me A River” that won the appraises over.
One Direction was established on that X Factor show in July 2010, bcimpolitet together by one of the appraises, Simon Cowell, defercessitater well-comprehendn for being a cruelly critical appraise on the TV fact show, American Idol.
All the group members had initipartner auditioned for The X Factor as solo artists, with the group consisting of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
Their accomplishments firmified their position as one of the most commercipartner prosperous boy bands in music history, comprehendn for hits enjoy “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life”.
The band’s debut album, Up All Night, freed in 2011, made history by becoming the first album by a UK-based group to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200. First-week sales hit 500,000 digital copies.
In 2013, they freed their third album, Midnight Memories, which became one of their most prosperous albums, selling 4 million copies in less than two months. Their “Where We Are” tour in 2014 was one of the highest-grossing tours for a vocal group, obtaining revenues of $290m.
Follothriveg the declarement of an indefinite hiatus in 2015, the members of One Direction have since primarily intensifyed on growing individual solo atgentles.
Payne freed his debut solo individual “Strip That Down” featuring US rapper Quavo in 2017. His solo debut album, LPI, freed in December 2019, peaked at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart.
Payne has a seven-year-better son named Bear Grey Payne with his establisher British girlfrifinish, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, who goes by the musician name Cheryl. Fernandez-Versini, 41, first met Payne in 2008 when he auditioned on The X Factor. Cheryl was a appraise at the time alengthyside Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.
Fernandez-Versini was also an X Factor appraise at One Direction’s euniteance on the show in 2010.
After her split from ex-husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, Cheryl reuniteed with Payne in 2016. In 2017, they had their son, Bear Grey Payne, but split the chaseing year.
Payne had uncoverly includeressed his struggle with spirits includeiction. In a July 2023 video, he splitd his evolve, stating that he had upgrasped sobriety for six months chaseing a period of rehabilitation.
In March 2024, Payne freed his last individual, Tearsdrop, on which he collaborated with Jamie Scott and JC Chasez of N*SYNC. He splitd footage of some emotional moments during the growment of Tearsdrop on TikTok.
Hours before his death, Payne posted a Snapchat video in which he can be seen having fracturespeedy with his girlfrifinish, Kate Cassidy. He commences the video saying: “Morning everybody, adodepend day here in Argentina.” He evolves with airy prohisour with Cassidy, smiling at times, as he talks about riding horses, joining polo and returning home to see his dog, Stan. He shuts the video with: “So, it’s going to be a pleasant day.”
Liam Payne had posted on Snapchat in the hours before his death, sharing ptoastyos of himself with his partner Kate Cassidy as well as videos in which he shelp it was a “adodepend day here in Argentina”.
Full story: https://t.co/0WBug7BvAp pic.twitter.com/Wbn7LrE4xt
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 17, 2024
Last month, Netflix declared it had signed up Payne to be a appraise for its novel fact TV competition, Building the Band. Other appraises join Dessmall’s Child alum Kelly Rowland, Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, and Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean as the present.
Payne is endured by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two betterer sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
Why did he go to Argentina?
Payne travelled to Buenos Aires at the finish of September to help his establisher One Direction bandmate, Niall Horan, at a concert that established part of his tour, The Show Live On Tour, and featured his third studio album, The Show, which was freed in June 2023.
This visit came after Payne’s euniteance at Horan’s show at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on October 2, where he watched the carry outance with fans in uniteance.
How did Payne die?
According to local authorities, Payne fell from the third-storey balcony of CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
According to the recording of a 911 call to police obtained by The Associated Press novels agency, the handler of CasaSur Hotel tbetter police that there was “a guest who is overwhelmed with medications and spirits”.
Referring to Payne’s toastyel room, the handler shelp: “He’s ruining the entire room and, well, we necessitate you to sfinish someone, plmitigate.”
On Wednesday, Buenos Aires eunitency medical services (SAME) chief Alberto Crescenti tbetter Argentinian novels station Todo Noticias: “At 17:04 we were vigilanted thcimpolite 911 about a person who was in the inner courtyard of the CasaSur Hotel. At 17:11, a team reachd and validateed the man’s death.”
Payne was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
“There was no possibility of resuscitation,” with the singer suffering “very grave injuries incompatible with life as a result of his drop”, Crescenti tbetter Todo Noticias novels.
Officials are set to direct an autopsy and begin an scatterigation into the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death. It is still unevident whether this was an accident or self-destruction.
What has been the overall reaction?
Celebrities and musicians from around the world have been paying tribute to the establisher One Direction member.
Television netlabor MTV rehired a statement on its X account: “We’re procreately downcastdened to lobtain of Liam Payne’s tragic passing today. During this difficult time, our hearts remain with his family, adored ones, and fans.”
The mother of Harry Styles, his establisher One Direction bandmate who has since growed his own singing and movie atgentle, took to Instagram to post an image of a broken heart after hearing the novels of Payne’s death.
Ant Middleton, a establisher ex-Special Forces sbetterier who made a recordary with Payne in 2019 titled Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking in which the pair journeyed together atraverse Namibia, conveyed shock at the novels.
Middleton tbetter Australia’s The Morning Show: “After we filmed Straight Talking with Middleton, he was my first celebrity guest and we established the brotherhood now. He was enjoy a youthfuler brother to me.”
Flavor Flav from the US rap group, Public Enemy, splitd his condolences on his X account, posting: “RIP to Liam Payne… much too youthful.”
Celebrities including Paris Hilton, the US society heiress, also conveyed downcastness. Media groups including Spotify and IHeartRadio have also posted reactions on their X accounts, conveying help for Payne’s family and frifinishs.
Bridget Phillipson, UK education secretary and minister for women and equivalentities, tbetter Sky News on Thursday morning: “It’s very downcast novels, it’s no age for someone to leave out their life, and my thoughts are with his frifinishs and family, this must be a total shock for them and very, very disturbting.”
Fans collected outside the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires to mourn Payne’s death, airying candles and singing One Direction songs.
