Former One Direction member Liam Payne has tragically passed away at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Argentinian state police confirmed the heartbreaking news late last night. According to reports, Payne fell into the courtyard of the CasaSur Hotel, located in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the city’s ambulance service, shared in a statement that Payne fell approximately 40 meters (131 feet), sustaining injuries that were “incompatible with life.”
“The emergency call was received at 5:04 p.m. local time, reporting that someone was lying in the hotel’s internal courtyard,” Crescenti explained. “An ambulance arrived at 5:11 p.m., but the individual was already pronounced dead on the scene. It was only later we learned that he was a famous singer. Sadly, the severity of his injuries meant there was no chance of resuscitation.”
According to TMZ, Payne had traveled to Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, on September 30. His former bandmate Niall Horan had performed in the country earlier in the month, and both Payne and Cassidy attended the concert.
TMZ also reported that Cassidy left Argentina on October 14, two days before Payne’s passing. Liam checked into the CasaSur Palermo hotel afterward, with reports surfacing that he had been acting erratically on the day of his death. Another guest allegedly called 911 to report an “aggressive” male in the hotel lobby.
More details about Payne’s final days have emerged, with Sky News reporting that he was active on Snapchat just hours before his tragic death.
E! News also revealed that Payne shared a photo on Snapchat with his girlfriend on October 16, posing together in swimsuits for a mirror selfie. In the image, Liam smiled for the camera in black swim trunks and a backward white baseball cap, while Kate wore a black bikini, visor, and sunglasses. The photo was reportedly posted two days after Kate had already left Argentina.
Liam Payne’s struggles with alcohol and prescription drug addiction had been widely publicized over the past few years. In 2021, Payne opened up about experiencing “severe” suicidal thoughts during his time with One Direction. He later revealed he had completed a 100-day stay at a rehab facility in Louisiana in 2022.
“I needed some time to step back and focus on myself because I had become someone I didn’t recognize anymore,” Payne shared in a YouTube video last year. “I’m sure my fans didn’t recognize me either. I was so angry at everything happening around me, and instead of looking inward, I lashed out.”
An investigation into the circumstances of Payne’s death is ongoing, and an autopsy will be conducted.
Payne, who first rose to fame at the age of 16 as a member of One Direction, became a global sensation after the group formed on The X Factor in 2010. Although the band officially disbanded in 2015, its members went on to pursue individual careers with varying degrees of success.
