Former One Direction singer Liam Payne died Wednesday after falling into the interior patio of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Argentine Director of Emergency Medical Services, Alberto Crescenti, confirmed to CBS News.
He was 31 years old.
Crescenti said an ambulance arrived seven minutes later. He declined to answer questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped from the balcony or fell by accident, The Associated Press reported.
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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,” a spokesperson for the Buenos Aires Police said in a statement to CBS News. The spokesperson said Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”
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Payne, who was from the U.K., had attended a show in Argentina of his former bandmate, Niall Horan, according to media reports. Payne posted a series of social media videos showing him headed to Argentina.
Last year, Payne postponed his South American tour — with shows in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico — after a serious kidney infection. He told fans he was hospitalized with illness in a video explaining his decision.
Payne, who struggled with alcohol, announced in 2023 that he was 100 days sober. During a podcast interview in 2021, he detailed how One Direction members became too famous too fast — and said he often turned to drinking to deal with the mounting pressures of being in the globally famous boy band.
Formed in 2010 after they appeared on “X Factor’s Boot Camp,” One Direction members Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik went on to sell 70 million records by 2020, according to the BBC. “X Factor” judges including Simon Cowell first put them together as a boy band, and Cowell signed them to a record deal.
It was Payne’s second stint on the reality competition show. His first appearance was in 2008 at the age of 14, advancing to the judges’ houses round before being sent home.
One Direction won big at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, bringing home the Best New Artist award and Best Pop Video and Most Share-Worthy Video award for their song “What Makes You Beautiful.”
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Payne co-wrote over 30 songs for the group at the height of their fame.
Rumors began to circulate the band was going to break up with Zayn Malik announcing he was leaving in 2015. At the time, the band released a statement saying, “Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year.”
In total, the band released five studio albums (with Malik appearing in four) featuring hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life.”
After the band announced they were taking an extended hiatus in 2016, each member signed their own recording deals and released at least one studio album as a solo artist. Payne signed a solo deal with Capitol Records’ U.K. division, roughly one month after former bandmate Harry Styles signed a recording contract with Colombia Records.
Payne recorded across many different music genres, including pop, hip-hop, Latin and electronic music. He released his first single, “Strip That Down,” with Migos’ Quavo in May 2017. His debut studio album “LP1” came out in December 2019.
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Since his studio album dropped, he released three songs and also went through a turbulent personal period. In a video posted last year titled “I’m back…,” Payne apologized to his fans for being “MIA” and he had to take some time out for himself.
“I had to go away to get better,” he said.
Payne had a son in 2017 with former “X Factor” judge Cheryl Cole.
Michael Roppolo and
contributed to this report.
