Liam Payne, 31, a former member of the popular British boy band One Direction, was discovered dead on Wednesday after jumping from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, according to local authorities. The band was an international sensation, known for enthralling people everywhere.
Payne suffered “extremely serious injuries” after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the hip Palermo neighborhood, according to a statement from Buenos Aires police. Authorities verified that medical staff had declared him dead at the site.
The Buenos Aires Security Ministry’s Communications Director, Pablo Polisicchio, told the Associated Press that Payne “jumped from the balcony of his hotel room.” After 5 PM local time, police received an emergency call about a “violent individual possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
The hotel manager can be heard saying, “We have a guest overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol…The manager’s tone grew more concerned as the call went on, pointing out that the room had a balcony.
The head of the State Emergency Medical System, Alberto Crescenti, informed the Argentine news outlet Todo Noticias that an autopsy is being performed as part of an investigation into Payne’s death.
Payne revealed his battles with alcoholism on his YouTube channel in July 2023, revealing that he had been sober for six months after therapy. Emails and calls about the event have not yet received a response from Payne’s reps.
Dozens of One Direction fans gathered outside the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires after the devastating news, holding a vigil on the police-stationed, blocked-off street. Payne’s body was taken about three hours after the accident, and forensic investigators were observed departing the hotel. Using their phones to record, young women erected a makeshift monument with candles and bouquets to convey their shock and loss.
After each member tried out as a solo artist, One Direction was founded during the 2010 season of The X Factor, and Payne was one of the five founding members. Two years after his first failed try on the show, Payne made a comeback at the age of sixteen with a cautiously apprehensive performance of Michael Bublé’s “Cry Me a River,” which was well received.
Judges Simon Cowell and his colleagues put together one of the most successful boy bands in history by combining Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, despite the fact that they did not win the competition.
Payne had been candid about the difficulties that come with being famous, stating that it took him some time to get used to being in the spotlight all the time.
His 7-year-old son Bear Grey Payne, whom he shared with musician Cheryl, his ex-girlfriend, is his only surviving child. Although they started dating years later, Cheryl, originally known as Cheryl Cole, served as a judge on The X Factor during One Direction’s season. Additionally, from August 2020 to the beginning of 2022, Payne was engaged to Maya Henry. She claimed that their relationship served as inspiration for Henry’s novel, which was published earlier this year.
Payne leaves behind two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola, as well as his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, along with their son.
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