Liam Payne, Former One Direction Member, Dies at 31

Liam Payne, a former One Direction member, has died. He was 31. Payne died after falling from the third floor of a hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to state police reports by ABC and CNN. In a statement to the Associated Press, Buenos Aires police said Payne’s fall caused “extremely serious injuries.” According to the statement, medics verified his death at the scene.

According to AP, the hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call reporting a visitor who is “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.” He’s ruining the entire room, so we need you to send someone, please.” Argentina’s state emergency medical system will examine Payne’s death and perform an autopsy. Payne was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England. He rose to prominence after auditioning for the fifth season of The X Factor in 2010, in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue, and Louis Walsh.

Payne previously auditioned for a British television series in 2008 but was eliminated. When he returned two years later, a performance of Michael Bublé’s “Cry Me a River” earned him a spot in the newly formed boy band One Direction, which was mentored by Cowell. Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik round up the quartet.

While they did not win The X Factor that season, One Direction went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes,” and “Steal My Girl.” After Malik left the band a year before, the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne later signed as a solo artist with Capitol Records U.K. in 2016, and released his debut single “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo the following year. In addition to collaborating with other notable musicians such as DJ Zedd and J Balvin, his music has been streamed over two billion times as of 2018. He also released his debut EP, First Time, in August 2018 and his first solo studio album, LP1, the following year. Payne has had several songs hit on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Strip That Down,” which reached at number 10. Other hits on the chart included “For You” with Rita Ora, “Get Low” with Zedd, and “Bedroom Floor”. His most recent release was the single “Teardrops” earlier this year.

Payne and his ex-girlfriend (and X Factor judge), Cole, have a kid named Bear Grey Payne, who was born in 2017. He was now dating Kate Cassidy, an influencer. Payne also faced several controversies later in his career, including saying on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast in 2022 that he would always “dislike” former bandmate Malik, insisting that One Direction was formed around him, and claiming to be the most successful solo artist outside of the band.

Payne then apologized for his statements, claiming that he lashed out due to his “own frustrations” with his career. Maya Henry, his ex, has lately accused the singer of harassing her and her family after the couple split in 2022. Last year, the musician also spoke out about his sobriety journey, revealing in a YouTube video that he was six months sober as of July 2023, having spent 100 days in a rehabilitation facility. He also stated that he wanted to be a better parent to his son, which motivated him to seek therapy.

“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,” Payne stated in the clip at the time. He continued: “I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life now.” The artist had come to Argentina for Horan’s concert on October 2 at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires. He appeared in numerous fan videos, cheering on his friend’s performance and communicating with the audience. Payne is survived by his parents, Karen and Geoff, as well as two elder sisters, Ruth and Nicola.