Former One Direction member, Liam Payne unexpectedly passes away at age 31.
Liam Payne, a former singer in the boyband One Direction has died after jumping from the third story of a hotel in Buenos Areas, Argentina, according to local police.
The star stayed in the city’s recently trending Palmero area. In a statement police said that they responded to a call from the staff at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel that Payne was staying at.
Payne rose to fame in 2010 when he auditioned for the show X-Factor. Payne was put together with four other boys, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. The five of them together formed the boyband One Direction.
One Direction quickly became a huge pop culture phenomenon. They had their first big hit in 2011 with the song What Makes You Beautiful.
Eventually, in 2015, Malik decided to leave the band. The rest of the members released one more album before they broke up in 2016.
Payne admittedly turned to alcohol after the band split. He admitted to the BBC that, “It was erratic behavior on my part-I was partying too hard.”
According to police in Buenos Areas, they were initially responding to sites, “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.
Police discovered Payne’s body in the courtyard soon after they got to the hotel. It was said that a loud sound had been heard in the interior courtyard just before.
Alberto Crescenti the head of Emergency Medical Services made a statement to local media saying that Payne had suffered “serious injuries” and there will soon be an autopsy. Crescenti declined to make any statements on the circumstances of Payne’s fall.
Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry shared an update stating that Payne, “jumped from the balcony of the hotel.”
Just hours before the incident the pop star posted a story to his Snapchat saying, “It is a lovely day in Argentina.” It has been revealed that the video he posted on his story was taken earlier that week when he was with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Fans around the world are devastated by this loss.
“When I found this out I audibly gasped and started crying and then I put on One Direction. If you look at my listening history on Spotify from last night I went crazy, it was all just One Direction,” fan Carlee Johnson stated.
Earlier this month the singer had attended the Argentinian concert of his former bandmate, Niall Horan. While all the band members have said they are on speaking terms there has never been an official public reunion. Many fans have hoped and speculated for years. People are incredibly saddened that a full reunion will never be a possibility.
“It was definitely a shock to me especially since I love One direction. It’s going to be hard to see it especially if they do a reunion without him. I feel like it’s a higher possibility to see them all together [at the funeral]. I would be happy that they were there but it’s still sad because it’s the reunion we never got. Yes there back together but it will never be a true reunion,” fan Gwenyth Underhill explained.
Many fans in Argentina rushed to the hotel where Payne stayed to pay their respects and light candles in honor of the pop star.
No members of the band have spoken out as of right now but, several celebrities including Charlie Puth have made comments on the situation. Harry Styles’s mom, Anne Twist made a post early this morning with a picture of a broken heart emoji and the caption, “He was just a boy….”
Payne’s family also made a statement: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts, and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul.” They continued, “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
The singer’s body has now been transferred to a morgue in the city of Palmero.
