Liam Payne, former One Direction member, dies aged 31 in Argentina hotel fall

Fans flocked from across Buenos Aires to CasaSur Hotel after the news broke, forming lines that spilt into the street

Liam Payne rose to fame as a member of the British boy band One Direction. AP file

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, was found dead after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, local officials said.

Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor of CasaSur 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.

Pablo Policicchio, spokesman for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, said in a statement that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room”. Policicchio said police were sent 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 found Payne's body in the hotel courtyard, he said.

Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said on Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that authorities were investigating the circumstances of Payne's death and conducting a post-mortem examination.

Payne had spoken about struggling with alcoholism, posting a video in July 2023 to his YouTube channel where he said he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.

One Direction fans flocked from across Buenos Aires to CasaSur Hotel after the news broke, expressing shock and heartbreak, and forming lines that spilt into the street as police stood guard outside.

Payne was one of five members of One Direction, which was formed in 2010 when they each auditioned for the British singing competition series The X Factor. After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands – even though they lost the competition.

The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits such as What Makes You Beautiful, Night Changes and Story of My Life. They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016. They had a loyal fan base, many of whom were teenaged girls, who became known as “Directioners”.

After the group's dissolution, Payne – like each of his former bandmates – pursued a solo career, shifting towards EDM and hip-hop. His 2017 single Strip That Down, featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album LP1 in 2019, and his last release – a single called Teardrops – was released in March.

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 an X Factor judge during One Direction's season.

Payne was previously engaged to Maya Henry, although they split in 2022. Henry released a novel this year that she said was based on their relationship.

He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.