Liam Payne, one of the five members of the “The X Factor”-bred boy band One Direction, has died at the age of 31.
The singer died after falling three floors from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to the Associated Press. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said that he fell into a courtyard at Casa Sur Hotel. It’s unclear if the fall was an accident, and authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Payne got his start in the music industry as a competitor on “The X Factor” in 2008, when he was cut from the show. He returned two years later and was put in a group alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. They placed third on the show, and were subsequently signed to 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 highest-selling boy bands of all time, and have sold more than 70 million records worldwide. After a strong run from 2010 to 2016, the quintet announced it would embark on an indefinite hiatus, which led to all five singers branching off to start solo careers.
In 2017, he debuted as a solo singer with “Strip That Down” featuring Migos member Quavo, cracking the top 10 in the United States and peaking at No. 3 in his native U.K. He released his debut album “LP1” in Dec. 2019, reaching No. 17 in the U.K. Earlier this year, he put out his latest single “Teardrops,” accompanied by an acoustic version.
Payne was open about his struggles with drinking and suicidal thoughts, and just last year he stated that he had completed more than three months of sobriety. “I’m sober now, over 100 days,” he told IFL TV. “I feel amazing, I feel really, really good and the support from the fans has been really, really good, so I’m super happy.”
More details to come…