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One Direction star Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Authorities say they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Tearful fans have gathered outside the hotel to mourn the death of the singer with some lighting candles, singing One Direction songs or holding moments of silence.
Tributes from across the music and entertainment industry have quickly poured in for Payne. While none of his former One Direction members have spoken out yet, Styles’s mother posted a broken heart emoji on Instagram with the caption, “Just a boy.”
Born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England, Payne rose to fame while competing on season five of The X Factor in 2008 in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.
After the audition stages, Cowell grouped Payne with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. One Direction went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne had a son, born in 2017, with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole.
Liam Payne tributes: MTV and music icons pay condolences after One Direction star’s shock death
Kevin EG Perry17 October 2024 06:30
In pictures: Fans mourn Liam Payne outside hotel where he died
Katie Hawkinson17 October 2024 06:00
Where was Liam Payne when he died?
Liam Payne was found dead in a hotel courtyard on Wednesday night. The hotel is located on Costa Rica Street in Buenos Aires’s Palermo neighborhood, local authorities revealed.
Earlier this month, Payne reportedly shared a Snapchat saying he was traveling to Argentina in part to see his former bandmate Niall Horan play a show there. “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to talk about and I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or nothing like that but we just need to talk.”
Katie Hawkinson17 October 2024 05:30
Is foul play suspected in Liam Payne’s death?
It’s unclear if authorities suspect foul play in Liam Payne’s death.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, has only said that authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death.
His body has been sent for an autopsy to help investigators determine what led up to his death and if there were any contributing factors.
Katie Hawkinson17 October 2024 05:01
In pictures: Police investigate scene of Liam Payne’s death
Katie Hawkinson17 October 2024 04:31
What we know about One Direction’s Liam Payne’s shocking death at a Buenos Aires hotel
Katie Hawkinson17 October 2024 04:02
Harry Styles’s mom speaks out
Anne Twist, mother of fellow former One Direction member Harry Styles, posted a broken-heart emoji on Instagram soon after Liam Payne’s death was announced.
“Just a boy,” Twist wrote.
Katie Hawkinson17 October 2024 03:45
Liam Payne: The ambitious One Direction star who struggled with dark side of fame
The singer died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, officials said on Wednesday 16 October. Pablo Policicchio, the spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, said in a statement to the Associated Press that police were dispatched to the hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol”.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Payne was drawn to singers such as Usher and Justin Timberlake. He remembered his childhood as a happy one: his father, Geoff, worked as a fitter, while his mother, Karen, was a nursery nurse.
Roisin O’Connor17 October 2024 03:00
