Former One Direction member Liam Payne dies aged 31

“Liam James Payne, songwriter and guitarist, former member of the group One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo”, a district of the Argentine capital, police said in a press release.

Police responded to “a 911 call reporting an aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” the statement continued.

A few minutes after the announcement of the death of the British singer, many admirers and curious people gathered silently in front of the door of the Casa Sur hotel where the death was noted, under the surveillance of a dozen police officers.

PHOTO AUGUSTIN MARCARIAN, REUTERS

According to the head of emergency, Alberto Crescenti, Liam Payne had “very serious injuries following his fall”.

“I’m in shock, I can’t believe it,” said Martina Di Lalla, 23, who said she was a fan of One Direction when she was a teenager.

“I feel like it’s a part of my adolescence that was lost,” said Lena Duek, 21, saying that the group’s songs accompanied her between the ages of 12 and 16, and that she hoped One Direction would get back together one day.

Open investigation

Liam Payne was, along with Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, one of the members of the group One Direction formed in 2010.

PHOTO JONATHAN SHORT, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS

Harry Styles (left), Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson in September 2011

The announcement in 2016 of a break in the group’s career, never formalized as a separation, shocked millions of admirers.

According to the head of emergency, Alberto Crescenti, Liam Payne had “very serious injuries following his fall”. “We observed death, there was no possibility of resuscitation,” he explained on local television.

He said emergency services were called at 5:04 p.m. local time (4:04 p.m. Eastern Time) and that a medical team arrived seven minutes later, but could only “notify the death of this man” before discovering “later that he was a singer in a group”.

An investigation into the causes of death has been opened.

According to the magazine BillboardLiam Payne attended a concert by his former partner Niall Horan in Buenos Aires on October 2.

Reactions from personalities began to pour in on social networks.

“So devastated by the news of Liam Payne’s death. Love and condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP my friend,” wrote former model and singer Paris Hilton on X.

Alcohol problems

One Direction, a TV show product The X Factorbecame one of the boys bands the most lucrative in the world.

The fairly smooth and light pop group released, like every year since 2011, its fifth and final studio album, Made in the A.M., in 2016.

The same year, the members of the group, all aged around twenty, announced that they were taking an indefinite break while ensuring that they wanted to continue. Since then, they have never reunited on stage or in the studio.

Liam Payne then announced that he was working on a solo album, following in the footsteps of other band members.

Son single solo, Strip that Downranked third in the UK charts and tenth in the UK’s Top Songs list. Billboard American. In December 2019, he released his first solo album, LP1.

PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES

Liam Payne during a One Direction concert at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal in September 2015

Born August 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, Liam Payne is the author of several songs from One Direction’s discography.

In recent years, Liam Payne has openly spoken about his problems with alcoholism and the difficulties associated with fame.

In a 2023 video posted to his YouTube account, he admitted to being admitted to a rehab center for his alcohol addiction. “I kind of became someone I didn’t really recognize anymore. And I’m sure you don’t recognize it either,” he said.

Last year, he announced that he was working on a second album and had just released a new single in March 2024.