Liam Payne, a former member of the boyband One Direction, has died after falling from the window of a hotel in Buenos Aires, according to police there. He was 31.
Payne’s death occurred Wednesday at a hotel on Costa Rica Street in the Palermo neighborhood, according to a statement from police provided to CNN.
Buenos Aires police said that personnel from the 14B Police Station went to the hotel on Wednesday afternoon after receiving a 911 call about an aggressive man who was possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The police’s statement did not identify that person as Payne.
Payne was seen in Argentina attending his former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert on October 2, according to videos posted to social media from the show.
He had recently celebrated his 31st birthday in the UK, according to videos posted to his Snapchat. Payne was born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands and is the youngest of three. He is an alum of the City of Wolverhampton College, where he studied music technology.
Payne was best known as a member of the famed British boyband One Direction. The band, which also included Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Horan, first formed in 2010 after each member appeared on the UK version of reality competition show “The X Factor.”
CNN has reached out to representatives for Payne as well as his former One Direction bandmates for comment.
“I do love being on stage,” Payne said of performing and songwriting with the group in a 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly. He said he was most proud of co-writing their song, “What a Feeling.”
“That was a big one that me and Louis sat and wrote together,” Payne recalled. “It just kinda came together. It was inspired by a Fleetwood Mac sound. It’s just a nice driving jam — imagine driving down the coast.”
One Direction announced they were taking a hiatus in 2015. Payne later released his debut solo album in 2019 titled “LP1.” In May 2023, Payne announced that he was working on a new album that he was “really excited” about, and shared that he was planning a tour.
He had been open about past struggles with substance abuse and talked about completing treatment and being six months sober in the summer of 2023.
The tour was set to kick off in South America in September that same year, but Payne had to postpone the scheduled dates after suffering a kidney infection.
In March of this year, Payne released the song “Teardrops.”
Payne had a son, born in 2017, who he shared with former Girls Aloud singing group member Cheryl Cole.
In a video shared on YouTube in 2023, Payne talked about the love and affection he felt for his son, Bear.
“He’s awesome. He’s growing up far too quickly,” Payne shared at the time. “He’s far more smart than I think I’ll ever be. He’s a wonder.”
TMZ’s Controversial Coverage
TMZ is coming under fire over its coverage of Liam Payne‘s death, which included alleged photos of his deceased body.
After the outlet reported on the One Direction alum’s passing Wednesday, friends and fans of Payne called out the site over the since-removed photos that purported to confirm his death via detailed close-ups of his tattoos.
Alessia Cara, who previously performed with Payne and Zedd, called out TMZ on X. “You’re gross @TMZ,” she wrote, seemingly in reference to the photos.
Although TMZ has not addressed the backlash, the photos have since been removed from the article. “TMZ has seen a photo showing Liam’s body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby,” the language now reads. “You can clearly see his tattoos — a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen — which helped us confirm early reports from witnesses.”
Many readers still saw the images before they were taken down, with some voicing their disapproval on social media. “TMZ you’re sick,” writer Ira Madison posted on X.
“TMZ posting part of a photo of Liam Payne’s dead body in an article announcing his death is beyond deplorable,” another person wrote. “I can’t tell if I’m losing my mind lately or if society has always been this overtly morally decrepit.”
One fan said TMZ should be “deplatformed,” urging paparazzi to leave his exes and daughter alone. “Leave Maya Henry alone. None of this is on her. His tragic death does not make her trauma any less real,” they wrote. “Any pap who sells a photo of that 8 year old grieving child and/or his mother, Cheryl Cole, in the next 10 days, should be arrested.”
The Circumstances of Liam Payne’s Death
Payne died at age 31 on Wednesday when he fell from the third-floor balcony of his Buenos Aires, Argentina hotel room. La Nación reported that Hotel Casa Sur staff called police before the incident to report “an aggressive man that could’ve been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
A Life in Music
Payne was one of five members of One Direction, which formed when they each auditioned for the British singing competition series “The X Factor” in 2010, two years after Payne’s first attempt to get on the show. At 16 the second time around, Payne sang Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me a River,” appearing nervous at the start but warming up with the audience’s cheers and applause.
After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands — even though they lost the competition.
Each member had their own persona, with Payne — who hailed from Wolverhampton, a city in the West Midlands region of England — being known as the responsible one. The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Story of My Life.” Payne had prominent solos on songs including “Stole My Heart” and “Change Your Ticket,” co-writing several of the band’s hits. They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016 and a highly loyal fan base, known as “Directioners,” many of whom were teen girls.
“I’ve always loved One Direction since I was little,” said 18-year-old Juana Relh, another fan outside Payne’s hotel. “To see that he died and that there will never be another reunion of the boys is unbelievable, it kills me.”
With his meteoric rise to fame, Payne had said that it took some time to adjust to the public eye.
“I don’t think you can ever deal with that, it’s all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do,” he said in a 2013 interview with the AP after recounting an experience where a fan was in a state of shock upon meeting him.
After the group’s dissolution, Payne — like each of his erstwhile bandmates — pursued a solo career, shifting toward EDM and hip-hop. His 2017 single “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album “LP1” in 2019, and his last release — a single called “Teardrops” — was released in March.
Remembering Liam Payne
Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud. She was an “X Factor” judge during One Direction’s season, although their relationship began years later. Payne was previously engaged to Maya Henry, from August 2020 to early 2022. Henry released a novel earlier this year that she said was based on their relationship.
In addition to his son, he is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
The news of Payne’s death has sent shockwaves through the music world, with fans and fellow musicians expressing their grief and condolences. His passing is a reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of seeking help when needed. In the wake of this tragedy, it is essential to remember that mental health matters and that there are resources available for those who need them.
