Former One Direction star Liam Payne dies aged 31 after balcony fall
Liam Payne is said to have been in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan. File picture: Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage
Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Local police said the 31-year-old singer fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, before medics confirmed his death.
According to police in Buenos Aires, officers were initially responding to reports “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.
In audio from a call made by hotel staff to the emergency services, and being widely reported, a staff member asked for assistance for a guest they said whose “life may be in danger”.
The person on the call also told the operator that the guest was “trashing the entire room” adding: “We need you to send someone, please”.
The local Buenos Aires prosecution office, led by prosecutor Andres Esteban and secretary Maria Florencia Lavaggi, confirmed to the PA news agency it is leading the investigation into Payne’s death.
Payne is said to have been in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan, having been seen dancing at his show two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Payne had posted on Snapchat in the last few hours, saying it was a "lovely day here in Argentina".
"Just enjoying coffee and breakfast, even though it's like 1pm," he said. "Literally sleep in every day until like 12. We're such losers."
Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving.
Fans were photographed lighting candles and leaving flowers at the side of the road in an impromptu vigil as they paid tribute to the music star.
Britain's foreign office confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina “regarding reports of the death of a British man”. But a spokesperson declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told Radio Mitre that Payne fell 13 to 14 metres into the inside patio in the hotel, and died instantly from the fall. He added a post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death.
Payne’s death comes after it was widely reported that his ex-fiancee, Maya Henry, had started legal proceedings, allegedly issuing a cease and desist letter for repeated contact.
The US model, who was engaged to Payne from August 2020 until he announced their separation in June 2021, claimed in a recent TikTok video that, since their break-up, the singer would “blow up my phone” from different numbers.
Britain’s Got Talent also announced it will postpone auditions for the show following Payne’s death, with a spokesman for the programme’s producer, Fremantle UK, saying: “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.
“Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family and all who loved him.” The producer did not say when the auditions will resume.
Payne’s former school in Wolverhampton, St Peter’s Collegiate Academy in Compton Park, said he was “well-liked” by friends and teachers, and “made a positive impact” on the school community.
In a post on Facebook, the school wrote: “During his time at St Peter’s Collegiate Academy, Liam was not only well-liked by his peers and teachers but also recognised for his talents.
“He made a positive impact on our school community, and his contributions will be remembered”.
Former X Factor host Dermot O’Leary said on ITV’s This Morning that Payne “always had this unbelievable, soulful voice”, and was “central” to One Direction’s success when they rose to fame on The X Factor.
He called Payne “both wise and sort of a young soul at exactly the same time”, and said he was “always quite beautifully wide-eyed about (the) world and his place in it”.
“It’s such a huge amount of pressure to be put on young shoulders,” O’Leary added.
“I just thought, he’s been, not just famous, he’s had worldwide fame for basically half his life, which is an incredible amount of time for that level of pressure.” He also said that the band had “unbelievable longevity” as they were all “quite strong-willed, and they were very kind of adamant as to the kind of music they wanted to make”.
O’Leary also said he received messages during Wednesday night from fellow former X Factor staff, who felt they had “protectiveness” over the band’s members.
He said: “In many ways, we sort of grew up with them, and (so we are) holding close to our people and saying all our love to friends and family.”
Born in Wolverhampton, England in 1993, Payne rose to global fame when he was 16 as part of One Direction — alongside Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.
The boy band was formed on the British singing competition The X Factor in 2010. After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne released a solo single — Strip That Down — the following year. He released his debut album, LP1, in 2019.
He and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl share a son Bear, born in 2017, having been in a high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.
Payne previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, describing hitting “rock bottom” to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett.
He admitted his addiction to alcohol continued during the covid pandemic, but in 2023 he posted a YouTube video confirming he was almost six months sober after nearly 100 days in a US rehab facility.
Tributes for Payne have poured in with X Factor host Dermot O’Leary and former contestant Olly Murs recalling memories of the singer.
In August last year, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering from a “serious kidney infection”.
He said the infection was something “I wouldn’t wish on anyone” and he had been instructed by doctors to “rest and recover”.
Later last year he was banned from driving in Britain after admitting a speeding offence.
The singer was reportedly travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone and was banned from driving for six months, as well as paying a fine, in October 2023.
In August, Payne was announced as a judge on a new Netflix show alongside former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.
The stars were to judge attempts to create a band, looking at the contestants’ chemistry as they formed groupings in the musical competition series.
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