Liam Payne, an English singer who rose to fame as a member of boy band One Direction, died after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and suffering “internal and external hemorrhage,” according to a preliminary autopsy seen by multiple outlets.
Liam Payne is seen on March 1, 2024 in Paris, France.
Buenos Aires police issued a statement Wednesday saying Payne fell from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentinian capital, sustaining “extremely serious injuries,” and was declared dead on the spot by medics.
A toxicology report is still pending but a preliminary autopsy found he died from multiple injuries and hemorrhages, CNN reported Thursday.
A local official cited by the Associated Press said that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.”
Police were reportedly rushed to the scene just after 5 p.m. local time after the hotel’s manager placed an emergency 911 call complaining about a guest “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol…destroying the entire room,” the AP report added.
According to BBC, the manager also expressed concern that the guest “has a balcony, and we are afraid they might do something to put their life at risk.”
Local officials said they have launched an investigation into the death and the BBC reported the U.K. Foreign office is in touch with Argentinian authorities on the matter.
Payne’s family released a statement to British media Thursday: "Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul."
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The Argentinian prosecutor’s office in charge of Payne’s case is expected to make an official statement with more details later Thursday.
Other members of One Direction have not yet publicly commented on Payne’s death. Harry Styles’ mother, Anne Twist, appeared to mourn the singer’s death by posting an image of the broken heart emoji on her Instagram, alongside the caption: “Just a boy.” Waliyha Malik, the sister of former band member Zayn, also shared several images of the singer with her brother in her Instagram story, with the caption “heartbroken.” One Direction fans mourned Payne’s death on social media while a large group gathered outside the Casa Sur Hotel to set up a vigil for the musician and sang One Direction songs.
Fans of One Direction and Liam Payne gathered outside the hotel to light candles at an improvised ... [+]
The group of fans gathered outside the hotel could be heard singing One Direction songs.
Fans of British singer Liam Payne cry next to the hotel where he died in Buenos Aires.
One Direction fans also mourned Payne's death on social media.
Payne was a member of One Direction—a band put together by judges on the British show “The X Factor” in 2010—along with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. They did not win the season, but the group saw astronomical success after the show and went on to have stadium tours and a number of pop hits including “Story of My Life” and “Best Song Ever.” The band announced it would take a temporary hiatus in 2015, though Malik had left earlier that year. Payne then pursued a solo career and released his first solo album, LP1, in 2019, before continuing to make pop, hip-hop, Latin, and electronic music. Payne talked about his struggle with addiction in recent years, and said he suffered from suicidal thoughts while he a member of One Direction. In a 2023 YouTube video, Payne said he spent 100 days in rehabilitation and had “more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me” after being sober. Payne had four charting songs and one Billboard Top 10 hit in his solo career, 2017’s “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo. He released his most recent song, “Teardrops,” earlier this year. Payne also had a child in 2017 with Cheryl Cole.