Former One Direction member was 31

Liam Payne, a former member of One Direction, has died. He was 31.

According to ABC and CNN State Police, Payne died after falling from the third floor of a hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

According to CNN, Payne fell from a balcony on Costa Rica Street in the Palermo neighborhood.

Payne was born on August 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, England and rose to fame after auditioning for the fifth season of The X Factor in 2010 in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.

Payne had already auditioned for a British television series in 2008, but was eliminated from the competition. When he returned two years later, it was a performance of Michael Bublé's “Cry Me a River” that led to his acceptance into the newly formed boy band One Direction, of which Cowell was a mentor. Bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik completed the group.

Even though they didn't win this season The X FactorOne Direction became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, known for hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Steal My Girl.” The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 after Malik left the band a year earlier.

Payne later signed with Capitol Records UK as a solo artist in 2016 and released his debut single “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo the following year.

In addition to collaborations with other top artists including DJ Zedd and J Balvin, his music has been streamed over two billion times as of 2018.

He also released his debut EP For the first time in August 2018 and then his first solo studio LP1 the following year. Several of Payne's songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Strip That Down,” which peaked at #10. Other tracks such as “For You” with Rita Ora, “Get Low” with Zedd and “Bedroom Floor” also made it into the charts. His most recent release was his single “Teardrops” earlier this year.

Payne had a son, Bear Gray Payne, born in 2017, with his ex-girlfriend (and X factor Judge) Cole. He was currently dating influencer Kate Cassidy.

Payne also faced several controversies later in his career, including when he spoke at Logan Paul's Impulsive Podcast in 2022 that he would always “dislike” his former bandmate Malik, insisting that One Direction was formed around him and that he was the most successful solo artist outside the band. (Many pointed to Harry Styles as proof that he was wrong.)

Payne later apologized for his comments, saying he reacted strongly because of his “own frustration” with his career. Most recently, his ex Maya Henry accused the singer of harassing her and her family after their separation in 2022.

Last year, the singer also opened up about his journey to sobriety, sharing in a YouTube video that he was six months sober in July 2023 after spending 100 days in a rehabilitation facility. He added that part of his motivation for seeking help was to be a better father to his son.

“I actually just needed a little time out for myself because I was kind of becoming someone that I didn't really recognize anymore,” Payne said in the video at the time, adding, “I just feel like I've got the life now.” better under control.”

The artist traveled to Argentina for Horan's concert, which took place on October 2 at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires. In many fan videos, he could be seen cheering on his friend's performance and interacting with the audience.

In addition to his son, Payne is survived by his parents, Karen and Geoff; and two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.