Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died after falling on a hotel balcony

Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, has died in Argentina aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, according to police.

In a statement, police said they discovered Payne's body after a rescue team responded to a call in the upscale neighborhood of Palermo on Wednesday.

On Thursday, police in Buenos Aires said a preliminary autopsy suggested Liam Payne died from external and internal bleeding injuries.

Police inspected the area where Payne fell and found items including alcohol and a phone. Medicines were found in his room.

Payne gained worldwide fame as part of the popular boy band formed in 2010 alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik on the TV show “X Factor”.

According to police in Buenos Aires, officers on scene initially responded to reports “of an aggressive male who may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”

When they arrived at the hotel, officers were told that a loud noise had been heard in a courtyard. They soon discovered the body there. A police investigation was then initiated.

Alberto Crescenti, director of emergency services, told local media that Payne suffered “serious injuries” and that an autopsy would be carried out.

Mr. Crescenti declined to answer questions about the circumstances of Payne's fall from the balcony.

The star's body was transferred to a morgue in the city.

Police in Buenos Aires confirmed Thursday that an inspection of Payne's accident scene was conducted on the ground floor of the hotel.

They said a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a cell phone were found.

Police said “everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred” and that he died at the scene and that there were no injuries to suggest a third person was involved.

In the hotel room where Payne was staying, staff found “complete disarray,” including “various broken items.”

They said this included several packages of medication Clonazepamand over-the-counter medications.

A notebook and a passport were also found at the crime scene.

Evidence and fingerprints were collected and the room's balcony was also checked for access.

That night, police took five witness statements, three from hotel employees and two from women who had previously been in the room with Payne but were not there at the time of the fall.

Payne posted on Snapchat just hours before the incident: “It's a beautiful day here in Argentina,” but the video is from earlier in the week when he was spending time with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

The British Foreign Office confirmed that it was in contact with Argentine authorities “over reports of the death of a Briton.” No further information was provided.

When news of his death broke, fans gathered outside the Buenos Aires hotel where the death occurred, prompting police to cordon off the entrance. Some lit candles in his memory.

“I was in my living room and my sister told me that Liam had died,” a young fan named Violeta Antier told Reuters. “We couldn't believe it. We came right here to confirm it was true.”

Ms Antier said she saw Payne at the Niall Horan concert just two weeks ago.

Another woman cried as she explained why she had come to the hotel, telling Reuters in Spanish: “This is the only way I have to say goodbye to him.”

One Direction enjoyed global success with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life”, while Payne also enjoyed some solo success after the band announced in 2015 that they would be taking a break the following year.

In August this year, Payne was announced as a judge on a new Netflix talent show alongside former Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, UK, first tried for fame when he auditioned for ITV talent show The X Factor in 2008 – but judge Simon Cowell told him to “come back in two years”.

He did, impressed the judges even more in 2010, and was paired with four other solo contestants at boot camp, and One Direction was born.

The group had four number one albums in the UK and four number one singles, as well as top chart positions around the world, before Zayn Malik left the band in 2015, leading to the band's hiatus.

In 2017, Payne's debut solo single “Strip That Down”, which reached number three on the Official UK Charts, and his collaboration with Rita Ora on the song “For You” – from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack – also achieved the same Top 10.

He began a relationship with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy in 2016 and they had a son, Bear, the following year. The couple separated in 2018.

The BBC saw a cease and desist letter against the singer earlier this week from Maya Henry, another of Payne's former partners.

It “concerns alleged egregious behavior.”

She had posted on social media that she had contacted him repeatedly. Payne did not respond to the allegations.