One Direction member was 31

Liam Payne, one of the five members of The X Factor boy band One Direction, has died at the age of 31.

According to the Associated Press, the singer died after falling three stories from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said he fell into a courtyard at the Casa Sur Hotel. It is unclear whether the fall was an accident and authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death.

Born in Wolverhampton, England, Payne began his career in the music industry as a contestant on The X Factor in 2008 when he was eliminated from the show. He returned two years later and was included in a group with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. They came third in the show and were subsequently signed by Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment.

As a member of One Direction, Payne was part of one of the most prominent groups in modern history. They are considered one of the best-selling boy bands of all time and have sold more than 70 million records worldwide. After strong success from 2010 to 2016, the quintet announced they would be taking an indefinite hiatus, resulting in all five singers launching solo careers.

In 2017, he debuted as a solo singer with “Strip That Down” featuring Migos member Quavo, cracking the Top 10 in the US and reaching No. 3 in his native UK. In December 2019 he released his debut album “LP1”. and reached number 17 in the UK. Earlier this year, he released his latest single “Teardrops,” accompanied by an acoustic version.

Payne has been open about his struggles with alcohol and suicidal thoughts, revealing just last year that he had been sober for more than three months. “I’ve been sober for over 100 days now,” he told IFL TV. “I feel great, I feel really, really good and the support from the fans has been really, really good, so I’m super happy.”

More details to follow…