Former One Direction star Liam Payne dies aged 31 after balcony fall

Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina.

Local police said the 31-year-old fell into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, before medics confirmed his death.

According to police in the capital, officers were initially responding to reports “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.

In audio from a call made by hotel staff to the emergency services, and being widely reported, a staff member asked for assistance for a guest they said whose “life may be in danger”.

The person on the call also told the operator that the guest was “trashing the entire room” adding: “We need you to send someone, please”.

The local Buenos Aires prosecution office, led by prosecutor Andres Esteban and secretary Maria Florencia Lavaggi, confirmed to the PA news agency it is leading the investigation into Payne’s death.

Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving.

Fans were photographed lighting candles and leaving flowers at the side of the road in an impromptu vigil as they paid tribute to the music star.

Payne’s death comes after it was widely reported that his ex-fiancee, Maya Henry, had started legal proceedings, allegedly issuing a cease and desist letter for repeated contact.

The US model, who was engaged to Payne from August 2020 until he announced their separation in June 2021, claimed in a recent TikTok video that, since their break-up, the singer would “blow up my phone” from different numbers.

In the hours before his death, a video was posted on Payne’s Snapchat account, saying: “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina.”

The Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina “regarding reports of the death of a British man”.

But a spokesman declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.

Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told Radio Mitre that Payne fell 13 to 14 metres into the inside patio in the hotel, and died instantly from the fall. He added a post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death.

Britain’s Got Talent also announced it will postpone auditions for the show following Payne’s death, with a spokesman for the programme’s producer, Fremantle UK, saying: “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.

“Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family and all who loved him.”

The producer did not say when the auditions will resume.

Payne’s former school in Wolverhampton, St Peter’s Collegiate Academy in Compton Park, said he was “well-liked” by friends and teachers, and “made a positive impact” on the school community.

In a post on Facebook, the school wrote: “During his time at St Peter’s Collegiate Academy, Liam was not only well-liked by his peers and teachers but also recognised for his talents.

“He made a positive impact on our school community, and his contributions will be remembered”.

Former X Factor host Dermot O’Leary said on ITV’s This Morning that Payne “always had this unbelievable, soulful voice”, and was “central” to One Direction’s success when they rose to fame on The X Factor.

He called Payne “both wise and sort of a young soul at exactly the same time”, and said he was “always quite beautifully wide-eyed about (the) world and his place in it”.

“It’s such a huge amount of pressure to be put on young shoulders,” O’Leary added.

“I just thought, he’s been, not just famous, he’s had worldwide fame for basically half his life, which is an incredible amount of time for that level of pressure.”

He also said that the band had “unbelievable longevity” as they were all “quite strong-willed, and they were very kind of adamant as to the kind of music they wanted to make”.

O’Leary also said he received messages during Wednesday night from fellow former X Factor staff, who felt they had “protectiveness” over the band’s members.

He said: “In many ways, we sort of grew up with them, and (so we are) holding close to our people and saying all our love to friends and family.”

Payne formed boy band One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor.

After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, describing hitting “rock bottom” to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett.

He admitted his addiction to alcohol continued during the Covid pandemic, but in 2023 he posted a YouTube video confirming he was almost six months sober after nearly 100 days in a US rehab facility.

Earlier this month, Payne attended bandmate Horan’s Argentinian concert alongside his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid, Familiar and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.

The song was one of two tracks that reached the top 10 in the UK official charts, alongside For You with Rita Ora from the film Fifty Shades Freed – which the duo performed at the Brit Awards in 2018.

Payne was in a high-profile relationship with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl between 2016 and 2018 and the couple had a son, Bear, in 2017.

Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Simon Cowell telling him to return to the ITV talent show two years later.

In 2010, he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.

In August 2023, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering a “serious kidney infection”.

He said the infection was something “I wouldn’t wish on anyone” and he had been instructed by doctors to “rest and recover”.

In October that year, he was banned from driving in the UK after admitting a speeding offence.

The singer was reportedly travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone and was banned from driving for six months, as well as paying a fine.

In August this year, Payne was announced as a judge on a new Netflix show alongside former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.

The stars were to judge attempts to create a band, looking at the contestants’ chemistry as they formed groupings in the musical competition series.