Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has tragically passed away at the age of 31. Payne reportedly fell from the balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday afternoon while in the city for Niall Horan’s tour. According to TMZ, the accident occurred at the CasaSur Hotel in Palermo, with sources later confirming Payne’s death.
Fans, heartbroken and in shock, have begun gathering outside the hotel to pay their respects, forming a crowd behind police cordons. Many have left tributes to the singer, who had been a global pop icon since his teenage years with One Direction.
The Buenos Aires Security Ministry spokesperson, Pablo Policicchio, confirmed that police were called to the hotel earlier in the day, following reports of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Witnesses claim that Payne had been acting erratically, including smashing his laptop, before being escorted back to his room. Authorities arrived at the hotel around 5 p.m. local time, finding Payne’s lifeless body.
“The alarm was raised at 5.04 p.m. saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur,” Alberto Crescenti, a spokesperson for the local ambulance service, said. “By the time the ambulance arrived at 5.11 p.m., the man was confirmed dead on the spot due to severe injuries. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.”
Reports indicate that a red tent was placed over the body as the police began investigating the tragic fall. While the exact circumstances of Payne’s death remain unclear, authorities have launched a full investigation, and an autopsy is expected to be performed.
Heartbreaking Final Posts
Just moments before his death, Payne had shared a post on Snapchat, showing him with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. Earlier in the day, Payne had posted about riding horses and playing polo, expressing excitement to return home to see his dog. “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” the singer had written, unaware of the tragedy that would soon unfold.
Kate also posted a photo of Payne horseback riding in the Argentine countryside just hours before his untimely death. The couple had arrived in Argentina on September 30, and Payne had been spotted dancing and meeting fans at Niall Horan’s concert on October 2.
Glittering Career and Troubled Life
Liam Payne rose to stardom at just 16 years old after auditioning for The X Factor. While initially eliminated as a solo act in 2008, he returned in 2010, where Simon Cowell famously grouped him with four other contestants—Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles—to form One Direction. The band quickly became one of the biggest boy bands in history, winning the hearts of millions worldwide.
As one of the band’s main songwriters, Payne contributed significantly to their success until their split in 2015. He pursued a solo career afterward, releasing his album LP1 in 2019. Despite his professional success, Payne’s personal life was often tumultuous.
Payne dated singer Cheryl Cole, with whom he shares a son, Bear, born in 2017. The couple split in 2018. Payne also had a high-profile relationship with supermodel Naomi Campbell in 2019 and an on-again, off-again romance with ex-fiancée Maya Henry, which ended for good in 2022.
Battle with Inner Demons
In recent years, Payne had been open about his struggles with drugs, alcohol, and mental health. In a 2021 interview, he admitted to going through a “pills and booze phase” that caused significant weight gain, as well as revealing he would often drink from his hotel mini-bar to cope with the pressures of fame. He later revealed on Ant Middleton And Liam Payne: Straight Talking that he had battled suicidal thoughts during the peak of his fame.
“For certain circumstances, I’m quite lucky to still be here,” Payne said in the interview. “The level of loneliness and pressure, with people getting into you every day, it’s like, ‘When will this end?’ That nearly killed me a couple of times.”
Payne leaves behind his 7-year-old son, Bear, his parents Geoff and Karen Payne, and two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
As fans around the world mourn this tragic loss, the investigation into Payne’s death will continue, with authorities conducting an autopsy in the coming days.
