One Direction singer Liam Payne found dead in Buenos Aires
Updated October 17, 2024 — 9.57am
Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died at a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, local police have confirmed.
Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne, 31, fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in “extremely serious injuries”. Medics confirmed his death on the spot, the statement said.
Police cordon off a hotel where Liam Payne was found dead in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Credit: AP
Pablo Policicchio, the spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, said in a statement to The Associated Press that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room”.
He said 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”. Arriving police heard a thud and found Payne’s body in the hotel courtyard, Policicchio said.
The hotel manager said he heard a loud noise at the back of the hotel, and when police arrived they found that a man had fallen over the balcony in his room, the statement said.
Ambulance workers later confirmed the death of the singer, who was found in an interior hotel patio.
One Direction fans flocked from across Buenos Aires to the Casa Sur Hotel after the news broke, forming lines that spilled into the street as police stood outside. Young women at the scene expressed shock and heartbreak.
“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told AP. Video showed dozens gathered on the cordoned-off street outside the hotel, with many recording footage on their phones. A forensic investigator was seen exiting the hotel, where Payne’s body remained on Wednesday evening.
Loading
Local news outlet Todo Noticias TV interviewed Hernan Palazzo, who works near the hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood, who said, “The neighbourhood is very shaken up ... There’s a lot of police, some fans arriving. It is very sad.”
“Our hearts are absolutely broken and we wish much light and strength for his family and loved ones,” MTV’s Latin American branch wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Payne rose to global fame as part of the since-disbanded pop band One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
The boy band got its start after finishing third on the British version of the X Factor music competition show in 2010, but the group broke up in 2016 as its members pursued different projects including solo careers.
One Direction was ranked the third-greatest boy band of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2024. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Payne’s One Direction and solo career helped garner a net worth of some $70 million.
Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole at the Brit Awards 2018 in London.Credit: AP
Payne had earlier this month attended the concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan in Buenos Aires. The musician has been open in the media about struggling with addiction and spending time in a rehabilitation facility.
Earlier on Wednesday, Payne had appeared to post on Snapchat about his trip in Argentina, talking about riding horses, playing polo, and looking forward to returning home to see his dog.
“It’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” he said in the video.
Payne had a seven-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 a judge on The X Factor during One Direction’s season.
Payne is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.
More to come
Reuters, AP
Support is available from Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 and Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Loading
