Liam Payne, former member of One Direction, has tragically passed away at the age of 31.
According to reports from state police, as covered by ABC and CNN, Payne died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The accident occurred on Costa Rica Street in Palermo.
Born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, UK, Payne first rose to fame on The X Factor in 2010. Despite an earlier audition in 2008 where he didn’t make the cut, he returned two years later with a standout performance of Michael Bublé’s “Cry Me a River.”
This led to his placement in the newly formed boy band One Direction, alongside Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. Though they didn’t win The X Factor, One Direction quickly became a global sensation with hits like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Night Changes.” The band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016, a year after Malik’s departure.
In 2016, Payne signed a solo contract with Capitol Records UK and released his debut single “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo in 2017. He collaborated with artists such as DJ Zedd and J Balvin, accumulating billions of streams by 2018.
Payne’s music charted on the Billboard Hot 100 with singles like “For You” with Rita Ora and “Get Low” with Zedd. His latest release was the single “Teardrops” earlier this year.
Payne leaves behind a son, Bear Grey Payne, born in 2017 with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole, a former X Factor judge. He was recently dating social media influencer Kate Cassidy.
Throughout his career, Payne faced some controversies. In a 2022 appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, he made comments about former bandmate Zayn Malik and claimed that One Direction was formed around him.
Payne later apologized, explaining he was frustrated with his career at the time. More recently, his ex-fiancée Maya Henry accused him of troubling behavior following their 2022 breakup.
Payne also opened up about his sobriety journey, revealing in a 2023 YouTube video that he had completed six months of rehabilitation.
He spoke about the experience as a transformative period, saying it helped him become a better father and regain control of his life.
The artist was in Argentina to attend Horan’s concert at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on October 2, where he was seen cheering for his friend and interacting with fans.
In addition to his son, Payne is survived by his parents, Karen and Geoff, and his sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
