Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead outside a hotel in Buenos Aires after the 31-year-old fell from his third-floor room balcony, Argentine police said on Wednesday. Barely hours after his death, a video began circulating on social media, claiming to show the singer’s fatal fall. Even as the video gained thousands of views online in minutes, many were quick to debunk it. Others slammed those who posted or reshared it, urging respect for the departed singer. (Also read: One Direction singer Liam Payne found dead in Buenos Aires: Report)
Fact check: Liam Payne’s death’s video shared on social media?
The video being shared online shows a man, alleged to be Liam Payne, falling from a building. Given that Liam died of a fall from his hotel balcony, many assumed it was a video of his final moments. The accompanying caption claimed as much. However, online fact-checkers were quick to point out that the video was from 2023, and the man in question was not Liam Payne at all.
Liam Payne died on Wednesday, at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires. In a statement, the Buenos Aires police said they were called to the hotel in the capital’s leafy Palermo neighbourhood, where they were notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol.”
The hotel manager said he heard a loud noise at the back of the hotel, and when police arrived they found that a man had fallen over the balcony in his room, the statement said. Emergency workers confirmed the death of the British singer, who was reportedly found in the hotel’s interior patio.
Reactions to Liam Payne’s death
US music channel MTV, streaming service Spotify and the BRITs British music awards all expressed their grief on social media, sending their condolences to his family and loved ones. Payne had a son named Bear with British TV personality and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl in 2017.
Police had received a call from a worker at the hotel requesting urgent help with an intoxicated guest, according to audio related to the case obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry.
“When he is conscious, he is destroying the entire room, and we need you to send someone,” the worker said, adding that the guest’s life was at risk because their room had a balcony. Emergency responders removed the body from the hotel to take to the morgue, while fans and onlookers who had gathered through the early evening, some hugging each other and crying, burst into applause.
With inputs from Reuters