Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died in Argentina, according to local officials.
Police tell the BBC and the Associated Press in statements that they responded to an emergency call at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, regarding “an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol.” Shortly after their arrival, the 31-year-old British singer was found dead in the courtyard.
ABC News reports that Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told a local Argentinian media outlet that Payne fell about 42 to 45 feet. He called the injuries “very serious” and “incompatible with life.” Emergency services arrived at 5:11 p.m. and Payne was confirmed dead.
Speaking with the AP, Crescenti said authorities were investigating the circumstances of his death and conducting an autopsy. Crescenti declined to answer questions about the incident, including whether Payne had fallen or had jumped.
Payne was photographed supporting his former bandmate Niall Horan at his Oct. 2 show in Argentina. In recent days, videos have surfaced of Payne still in the country.
Payne shares one child, a 7-year-old son named Bear, with singer Cheryl Cole.
In 2010, Payne achieved superstardom on U.K.’s The X Factor when he became a member of the boy band One Direction. The band also included Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Horan. Their 2013 hit “Best Song Ever” peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Other popular hits included “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Story of My Life” and “Drag Me Down.” They released five albums.
Payne first auditioned for the singing competition show in 2008 at age 14. He performed a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” Payne advanced but was cut by judge Simon Cowell before the live shows. The singer returned two years later and his life changed.
“I was really young then and I wasn’t ready,” Payne told the panel before his 2010 audition. “Now I’m 16 and I’m back and I’m ready to give it another shot.”
The judges — which included Cole — were blown away by his performance of Michael Bublé’s “Cry Me a River.” That audition ultimately made him one-fifth of One Direction. Although they didn’t win that season, they went on to become one of the biggest-selling boy bands of all time. One Direction split in 2015 with each artist pursuing a solo career.
While out on his own, Payne collaborated with many different singer-songwriters, including Quavo (“Strip That Down”), Zedd (“Get Low”) and Rita Ora (“For You” from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack). He released his first solo album, LP1, in 2019.
At the height of One Direction’s success, Payne said he struggled with anxiety and alcohol abuse. “It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band,” he told Men’s Health Australia.
In July 2023, Payne revealed he was six months sober after spending 100 days in a rehab facility.
“I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore,” he told fans in a YouTube video. Payne apologized for talking poorly about some of his bandmates in a 2022 interview that captured headlines. Payne ended up thanking them as they “really stuck by” him during his time of need.
“When I needed them the most, they kind of came to my rescue,” he said.
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