Liam Payne, One Direction member, dies aged 31

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, one fifth of the British boy band, has died outside a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, local police confirmed on Wednesday. He was 31.

The English musician was found dead after falling from his third-floor balcony at Hotel Casa Sur. In a statement, capital police added that they were called to a hotel in the capital's Palermo district where they were informed of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”

Buenos Aires police said Payne's fall resulted in “extremely serious injuries” and he was confirmed dead at the scene, The Associated Press reports. Alberto Crescenti, head of Buenos Aires' public emergency service, confirmed Payne's death in a statement to local media, Todo Noticias and La Nacion reported.

It's OK to grieve: Liam Payne's death is particularly difficult for Generation Z, the Millennials

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives from the Payne and Casa Sur hotels and the city of Buenos Aires for comment.

Earlier Wednesday, Payne appeared to post on Snapchat about his trip in Argentina, riding horses, playing polo and looking forward to returning home to see his dog. “It’s a beautiful day here in Argentina,” he said in the video.

Payne is survived by his seven-year-old child Bear, whom he shared with British singer Cheryl Cole.

Liam Payne's rise to fame with One Direction

Payne gained worldwide fame as part of the now-disbanded pop group One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

Payne auditioned twice for British reality show The X-Factor before becoming a superstar. He moved up after auditioning in 2008 and 2010 and was axed both times. However, in 2010 he was saved from elimination when Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh teamed him up in a band with teenage solo artists Styles, Horan, Tomlinson and Malik.

After their first single “What Makes You Beautiful” became a global hit, the group released their debut album “Up All Night”. Releasing four more records, they sold out arenas and stadiums around the world during four headlining tours and scored Top 10 hits, including “Story of My Life,” which Payne co-wrote, “Best Song Ever” and ” Drag Me Down.” .”

After the release of their fifth album “Made in the AM,” the band took an indefinite hiatus in 2016. All members, including Malik, who left the group in March 2015, pursued solo careers.

“It’s definitely really sad for us. But of course we will return. So it's not a goodbye, it's just 'See you later,'” Payne told USA TODAY about their break in 2015. “It's like Tigger.” used to say, “Ta-ta for now.”

Liam Payne's career as a solo artist: 'I was just finding myself'

Payne, whose music was inspired by R&B, electronic music and dance music, released several hit singles after the break and released his first solo album “LP1” in December 2019. His 2017 track with Quavo, “Strip That Down,” entered the World Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. His other hits included the Rita Ora duet “For You,” which appeared on the “Fifty Shades Freed” soundtrack, and the Zedd collaboration “Get Low.”

Ahead of the release of his long-awaited debut solo album, Payne told USA TODAY at the time that it felt “really great” to finally bring it into the world.

“It took a long time to get done – not because it was difficult to make, but because we were so lucky with the singles that we didn't have to focus on producing the album at that point,” Payne said . “I was just finding myself and my sound. And in the band we also made albums very quickly: we wrote for two weeks and then recorded for a month. So I wanted to enjoy this experience a little more.” “

His latest release, a single titled “Teardrops,” revealed lyrics about feeling “broken” in the midst of heartbreak.

In August, Payne was announced as one of the judges on an upcoming music competition show called Making the Band on Netflix. Filming was scheduled to take place over the summer with Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and AJ McLean. Earlier this month, fans shared videos of Payne dancing in a box suite at the Movistar Arena at Niall Horan's tour stop in Buenos Aires.

Liam Payne spoke openly about his problems and his addiction: “I had to get away somehow”

In recent years, Payne has spoken openly about his struggles with addiction and the mental health issues he experienced at the height of 1D's fame.

“It was really just about growing up,” Payne told USA TODAY about the turning point that led to his journey to sobriety. “Luckily for me, I had the best people around me at the time who made me aware of the different points in my life where I could be better. And of course, having children completely changes your attitude towards everything you do. I'm still pretty young.” – At least that's what I want to believe – so I still have a lot to learn to find myself as a person.

He shared that therapy helped him find a healthy relationship with alcohol.

“I was helped to get sober by a (therapist) named Chip Somers, who also got Russell Brand through sobriety. I actually went to a meeting with Russell where you tell stories and talk about different situations,” Payne told USA TODAY. “It’s nice to find people who are going through the same (expletive) as you.”

In a July 2023 video marking his return to YouTube, the singer shared that he realized he had become “someone I don't really recognize anymore.”

“I kind of had to go away to kind of get better, let’s say,” he shared. “The whole thing got to the point where it was just a matter of staying relevant.”

Payne added: “That was the most important thing, I went back to basics and found out why I like doing this, why I like making music for you. Who am I? What do I actually want to say.” For you? You know, it's a really privileged position that I'm in right now and I actually want to take advantage of it.

He revealed that he traveled to a “wonderful place” in Louisiana for almost 100 days to “clear his head.” Payne also shared at the time that he had not consumed alcohol in nearly six months.

He described himself as “a little bit scared” of going on tour again because “I haven't tested myself on the road yet in this new state of mind and it sounds pretty daunting having nothing to lean on.” In August 2023 he had to canceled six shows in Mexico and South America after being hospitalized with a kidney infection.

In a 2021 interview with The Diary of a CEO podcast, Payne spoke about how he “didn't particularly like myself” during his early boy band days, which he said were filled with “pills and alcohol.” Moments of suicidal thoughts.”

“The day the band ended I thought, 'Thank God,'” he said. “I know a lot of people will be mad at me for saying this, but I had to stop or it would kill me.”

“In the band… the best way to keep us safe, because of our size, was to just lock ourselves in our rooms. What's in the room? A minibar,” he said on the podcast. “At a certain point I thought I was just throwing a party for one person, and it seemed to stay that way for many years of my life.”

“There were moments when it was toxic and difficult. Don't get me wrong; We had the best time ever, but…at this point you don’t realize you have a choice.”

Fans gather to mourn One Direction star

Reuters reporters on the scene in Argentina saw crowds gathering outside the hotel, where dozens of police and emergency services teams had cordoned off an area as night fell on the city.

One 25-year-old fan, Yamila Zacarias, said her family tried hard for her to see One Direction when they came to Argentina, but she decided not to go because her parents didn't have much money at the time.

“It meant a lot to me because the band came into my life at a time when you were trying to be part of something, and being a One Direction fan became special to me,” she said. “That was the only time I could applaud him.”

Violeta Antier, another fan, told Reuters she came immediately after his sister told her Payne had died.

“I saw him at a Niall (Horan) concert two weeks ago, another One Direction member. He was there, I saw him,” she said.

“He was fine.”

Payne had attended Horan's concert in Buenos Aires on October 2 on the Latin American tour, which included Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia. The two had posted videos together and with fans.

This story has been updated to add new information.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The service is free, confidential and available in English and Spanish.

Contributor: Fernando Cervantes, Cydney Henderson and Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY; Reuters

Liam Payne, One Direction member, dies aged 31

ByVanessa

Liam Payne's rise to fame with One Direction

Liam Payne's career as a solo artist: 'I was just finding myself'

Liam Payne spoke openly about his problems and his addiction: “I had to get away somehow”

Fans gather to mourn One Direction star

By Vanessa

Related Post

Rishabh Pant walks off injured after being hit on the knee, Dhruv Jurel is deployed as backup wicket-keeper

Nasdaq futures rise as TSMC outlook eases AI worries

Consultants make millions from the fierce competition to get into elite colleges

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You missed

Rishabh Pant walks off injured after being hit on the knee, Dhruv Jurel is deployed as backup wicket-keeper

Nasdaq futures rise as TSMC outlook eases AI worries

Consultants make millions from the fierce competition to get into elite colleges

Jason Segel's friendly compliment moves Hoda Kotb to tears