One Direction member Liam Payne has tragically passed away after falling from the third-floor balcony of CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, 16 October. He was 31.
As reported by Reuters, the police said they were called to the hotel, located in the capital’s Palermo neighborhood, where they were notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol.”
In a statement, the hotel manager said he heard a loud noise at the back of the hotel. When police arrived, they found that a man had fallen over the balcony from his room.
“When he is conscious, he is destroying the entire room,” another worker said on a phone call to the police.
The Policía Federal Argentina is further investigating the cause of his death. Payne’s body has also been sent for autopsy.
The singer’s most recent girlfriend, Katie Cassidy, was seen holidaying with Payne in Buenos Aires. She left the country two days before Payne’s fatal hotel fall.
Legal issues
A week before Payne’s death, his ex-fiancée Maya Henry hinted on TikTok at the singer’s obsessive personality.
“Ever since we broke up, he messages me and blows up my phone,” she said. The Texas-based model revealed that Payne would use multiple numbers to reach her.
Henry further alleged that Payne “‘weaponized One Direction fans against her, saying that he ‘preys on One Direction fans because they will always be loyal to him and won’t tell on him.’”
A source told People that Payne “was extremely overwhelmed by all of the legal issues,” with Henry issuing a cease-and-desist order last week.
The former couple called off their relationship in 2022.
Rise to fame
Payne rose to fame as part of the British boy band One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
Reuters quotes that One Direction “won dozens of major awards and sold around 70 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.”
However, the group disbanded in 2016 as the members pursued solo careers.
Payne is survived by his seven-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with ex Cheryl Cole.