The 31-year-old singer’s passing was confirmed by police in Argentina.
Liam Payne, who entered the public consciousness after auditioning for the British talent series The X Factor and then rising to global superstardom as a member of One Direction, has died in Argentina. He was 31.
Payne was apparently ‘acting erratic’ before he fell
Payne reportedly fell from his third-floor room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local police confirmed the incident, but it’s currently unclear whether the fall was an accident or intentional.
According to a 911 call obtained by CNN’s local affiliate Todo Noticias, hotel staff called for urgent police assistance with a guest “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” shortly before Payne fell. The hotel manager said someone must be sent “urgently” as they didn’t know whether the guest was in danger, and hotel staff hadn’t been able to enter his room for “for two or three days.”
Police said they were called to the hotel to address an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol.” According to Reuters, a 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.”
Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, told The Associated Press in a statement that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.” Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor, resulting in “extremely serious injuries,” and was pronounced dead on the spot by medics.
TMZ also reported that Payne had been “acting erratic” in the hotel’s lobby shortly before his fall, according to witnesses. “He smashed his laptop and had to be carried back to his room,” the outlet recounted.
Payne’s ex had started legal proceedings
Just days before Payne’s death, his ex-girlfriend Maya Henry started legal proceedings against him, claiming he’d been contacting her obsessively and “weaponizing” his fans against her. It’s unclear if this matter had anything to do with the tragic incident in Buenos Aires.
Maya spoke about Liam’s dark frame of mind in an episode of The Internet is Dead podcast that aired on October 14.
She said “He would always play with death,” and tell her “I’m gonna die. I’m not doing well.”
“I tried to get him help [and] he wasn’t taking it… He called my mom, ‘I think I’m not going to be around much longer,’” she added.
Payne was only 16 when he joined One Direction alongside bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson. The group enjoyed worldwide success with chart-topping hits including “Story of My Life,” “What Makes You Beautiful,” and “Little Things.”
The singer is survived by one son, Bear, whom he shares with his former partner, English singer Cheryl Cole.
