Former One Direction singer Liam Payne died on Wednesday after falling in the courtyard of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Argentina’s Director of Emergency Medical Services, Alberto Crescenti, confirmed to CBS News.
He was 31 years old.
Crescenti said an ambulance arrived seven minutes later. He declined to answer questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped from the balcony or fell by accident, the Associated Press reported.
Police were sent to the hotel for an emergency call about an “aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” said Pablo Policicchio, a spokesman for Buenos Aires’ municipal security department, in a statement to the AP. . Policicchio said Payne “threw himself off the balcony of his room.”
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Payne, who is from the UK, attended a show in Argentina for former bandmate Niall Horan, according to media reports. Payne posted a series of videos on social media showing him heading to Argentina.
Last year, Payne he postponed his South American tour – with shows in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico – after a serious kidney infection. He told fans that he was hospitalized due to illness in a video explaining his decision.
Payne, who had an alcohol problem, announced in 2023 that he had 100 days. In the middle podcast interview in 2021detailed how the members of One Direction rose to fame so quickly – and said he often turned to drink to cope with the growing pressures of being in a world-famous boy band.
Formed in 2010 after appearing on “X Factor’s Boot Camp,” One Direction members Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik went on to sell 70 million records in 2020, according to the BBC. “X Factor” host and entertainer Simon Cowell initially put them together as a boy band.
One Direction won big at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home Best New Artist and Best Pop Video and Most Share-Worthy Video for their song “What Makes You Beautiful.”
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Payne has written more than 30 songs for the group in the area of fame.
Rumors began to spread that the group was about to break up with Zayn Malik announcing that he was leaving in 2015. At the time, the group released a statement saying, “Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a foursome and look forward to the upcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, which will be released later this year.”
In all, the band released five studio albums (Malik appearing on four) with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life.”
After the band announced they would be taking an extended hiatus in 2016, each member signed their own record deals and released at least one studio album as a solo artist. Payne signed the deal on his own with Capitol Records’ UK division, about one month after his former bandmate Harry Styles is signed recording contract with Colombia Records.
Payne has recorded in many different genres of music, including pop, hip-hop, Latin, and electronic music. He released his debut single, “Strip That Down,” with Migos Quavos in May 2017. His debut album “LP1” was released in December 2019.
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As his studio album dropped, he released three singles and went through tough times. In a video posted last year titled “I’m back…,” Payne apologized to her fans for being “MIA” and having to take some time off.
“I had to leave to get better,” she said.
Payne had a son in 2017 and former “X Factor” judge Cheryl Cole.
Michael Roppolo contributed to this report.
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