Liam Payne, the legendary pop star who rose to fame in British and Irish boyband One Direction, has passed away aged 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina after falling from a third-floor balcony.
The singer had been in Argentina to reunite with his former bandmate, Niall Horan, during Horan’s show on October 2, a moment which went viral on social media as Payne was seen singing and performing to the concert’s attendees from his seat.
Prior to his death, Payne had been subject to online scrutiny following his recent conduct and the content of the relationship exposé written by his ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, in her fiction novel based on her own life, Looking Forward.
TMZ were one of the first media outlets to publicly announce Payne’s untimely death. Fans were outraged by their report, as the devastating news was tastelessly shared among a description of a photograph of Payne’s body after the accident. The article stated: “TMZ has seen a photo showing Liam’s body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby. You can clearly see his tattoos – a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen – which helped us confirm early reports from witnesses.”
Since his death, more information has surfaced surrounding the incident. CasaSur, the hotel Payne was staying at, had seen a hotel worker make a distressed call to the police, shortly before his death, due to a guest’s worrying and erratic behaviour. This guest, who we now know as Payne, was “destroying everything in his room” and appeared to be “on drugs and alcohol.”
After the disbandment of One Direction, the ascendence of Payne’s solo career witnessed him being increasingly open and vulnerable when it came to discussing his experience with alcoholism and addiction whilst in the band, and the trials and tribulations of his sobriety. This makes the untimely death of the young pop star even more devastating for his family, friends, his 7-year-old son, Bear (who he co-parented with Girls Aloud star, Cheryl Tweedy), his fans and Directioners.
Tributes have since come in from individuals in the industry sharing their condolences and memories of Payne.
We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne. He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him. pic.twitter.com/wOXUTKPUiR — The X Factor (@TheXFactor) October 17, 2024
Words can not express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now, and it seems like the rest of the world is in the same boat.
Our hearts go out to Liam’s family, friends, and Directioners around the world.
Rest in peace brother.
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) October 17, 2024
Rest in peace #Liam_Payne pic.twitter.com/7EgoiF2UzJ
— Naughty Boy (@NaughtyBoyMusic) October 17, 2024
Liam Payne, known for his hits ‘Strip That Down’ featuring Quavo, ‘Get Low’ featuring Zedd and his songwriting contributions to One Direction, including the iconic ‘Steal My Girl’ and ‘Story Of My Life’, rose to fame on UK reality-talent show ‘X Factor’ in 2010. His second audition to the show saw the 16-year-old Payne cover a powerful rendition of ‘Cry Me A River’ which eventually landed him a place in one of the UK’s most notorious boybands, One Direction, during the show’s bootcamp stage.
Despite finishing the show in third place, One Direction went on to become one of the biggest boybands on the planet. They toured the world, acquired one of the strongest fandoms, the Directioners, and sold more than 70 million records.
Payne, from Wolverhampton, embarked on a solo career in 2017 with his single ‘Strip That Down’, after One Direction announced their hiatus in 2016. Since then, he released multiple singles, an album, LP1 and an EP, First Time. His most recent release was ‘Teardrops’, a single released on March 1 2024.
The death of Liam Payne at such a young age is tragic, heartbreaking and deeply devastating. His legacy will remain as the ‘cheeky chap’ from Wolverhampton, who brought some of One Direction’s finest tracks and went on in his own ‘new direction’ in his solo career which entailed iconic tracks, Soccer Aid appearances and increased honesty with his mental health and sobriety.
