Liam Payne, the 31-year-old former member of the globally popular British boy band One Direction, was reported deceased on Wednesday following a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, according to local authorities.
The police in Buenos Aires issued a statement indicating that Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel, located in the fashionable Palermo district of Argentina’s capital, leading to “extremely serious injuries.” Medical personnel confirmed his death at the scene, as stated in the report.
Authorities are examining the details surrounding his death and performing an autopsy, as stated by Alberto Crescenti, the head of the state emergency medical system, during an interview with Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel. He refrained from providing additional information regarding the incident until the investigation has concluded.
A multitude of One Direction enthusiasts gathered from various parts of Buenos Aires at the Casa Sur Hotel following the announcement, creating queues that extended into the restricted street outside, where police maintained a watchful presence. Forensic investigators were observed leaving the hotel, from which Payne’s body was taken approximately three hours after the incident. Young women capturing the moment on their cellphones displayed expressions of disbelief and sorrow as a spontaneous memorial, adorned with candles and floral arrangements, rapidly emerged outside the hotel.
“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told The Associated Press.
Payne was among the five individuals who comprised One Direction, a group that was established following their auditions for the British singing competition series The X Factor in 2010. This occurred two years after Payne’s initial attempt to participate in the show. At the age of 16 during his second audition, Payne performed Michael Bublé’s rendition of Cry Me a River. Although he appeared anxious at the beginning, he gradually gained confidence as he received encouragement from the audience’s cheers and applause.
Following the unsuccessful attempts of each singer to progress in the competition as individual performers, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges united Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson into a group that would ultimately achieve remarkable success as one of the most prominent boy bands in history.
Each member of the group possessed a distinct persona, with Payne, who originated from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England, recognized as the responsible figure. The band gained fame for their pop sound and romantic ballads, including tracks such as What Makes You Beautiful, Night Changes, and Story of My Life. Payne featured prominently in solo performances on songs like Stole My Heart and Change Your Ticket, and he contributed to the songwriting of several of the band’s popular tracks. By the time the band entered an indefinite hiatus in 2016, they had achieved six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts and cultivated a dedicated fan base known as “Directioners,” predominantly consisting of teenage girls.
Eighteen-year-old Juana Relh, a devoted fan waiting outside Payne’s hotel, expressed her sentiments, stating, “My admiration for One Direction has been unwavering since childhood. The news of his passing and the realization that there will never be another reunion of the group is simply unimaginable; it deeply affects me.”
With his rapid ascent to stardom, Payne acknowledged that it required a considerable period to acclimate to life under public scrutiny. In a 2013 interview with the Associated Press, he expressed, “I don’t think you can ever deal with that; it’s all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do,” reflecting on an incident where a fan was left in disbelief after meeting him.
Following the disbandment of the group, Payne, like his former bandmates, embarked on a solo career, transitioning towards electronic dance music and hip-hop. His 2017 single “Strip That Down,” featuring rapper Quavo, achieved a spot in the Billboard Top 10 and maintained its presence on the charts for several months. He released his album “LP1” in 2019, and his most recent single, “Teardrops,” came out in March.
He is survived by his son, as well as his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two elder sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
