Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, died on Wednesday in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The singer fell from a hotel balcony, suffering injuries that led to his immediate death.
Emergency services got a call at 5:04 p.m. local time about an aggressive man at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. When they arrived, they found Payne with serious injuries.
Alberto Crescenti, the Buenos Aires emergency services chief, shared details about the incident.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life. Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death. The team could do absolutely nothing. There was no resuscitation because it was confirmed that he had died. The whole body had very serious injuries.”
The Buenos Aires City Police are looking into the case, which is still ongoing.
Payne rose to fame on the U.K. edition of X Factor. He first tried out in 2008 but didn’t make it. He came back in 2010 and joined One Direction with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. The group put out five albums from 2011 to 2015 before taking a break in 2016. They gave us hits like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life.”
After One Direction, Payne started a solo career. He released his first album, “LP1,” in 2019 and put out two EPs. His latest single, “Teardrops,” came out in March 2023.
Payne had a son named Bear with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole in March 2017. They split up in July 2018 after two years together. He later had a short relationship with Aliana Mawla. Most recently, he was with Kate Cassidy. They started dating in 2022, briefly split in May 2023, but got back together in February 2024.
The news of Payne’s death shocked fans and fellow artists. Charlie Puth shared his feelings on Instagram:
“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.”
Payne’s death has left the music world and his fans deeply saddened. His impact on pop music and his journey from X Factor contestant to global superstar will be remembered by many.
