Former One Direction member, Liam Payne, 31, died Wednesday outside a hotel in Buenos Aires, local officials confirmed.
Payne was one of five members of One Direction, the group that formed in 2010 after appearing on “The X Factor.” Following the pause of One Direction in 2016, Payne continued on with his solo career and signed with Republic Records in 2016.
Payne was a father to his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey, that was shared with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole — who he dated from 2016 to 2018.
What we know so far:
Payne was found after falling from his third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur hotel, which resulted in “extremely serious injuries,” Buenos Aires police shared.
The Associated Press reported that a spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, said that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room and medics confirmed his death on the spot.”
They continued to report that 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.”
Payne was open about his struggling with alcoholism, and posted a video to YouTube in 2023 that he was “sober and a better dad.”
Payne’s family speaking out:
In a statement obtained by the BBC, Payne’s family said, “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Celebrity responses:
Paris Hilton wrote on X, “So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing. Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend.”
Charlie Puth took to Instagram stories saying, “I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone … I am so upset right now, may he rest in peace.”
Zedd wrote on X, “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking … Life is short and fragile… You never know what people are going through. We live in times where being rude, divisive and mean is normal; sometimes even celebrated. It doesn’t have to be this way. We should do our best to be kind, supportive and mindful.”
Ty Dolla $ign wrote on his Instagram story sharing, “Just talked to you 2 days ago my guy. Ima miss u frfr sucio.”
The mother of Harry Styles, Anne Twist, posted a broken heart photo on Instagram captioning it “Just a boy…”
One Direction former band members, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan have taken to Instagram Thursday posting tributes to Payne.
The One Direction Instagram account posted a message Thursday afternoon that is signed from Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry. This is the first post on the account since 2020.
This story is developing.
This story was written by Sophie Goldstein. She can be reached at [email protected].
