Liam Payne, ex-member of the mightily successful band One Direction, has died in a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local reports suggest Payne, 31, suffered a fall from the third floor of his hotel, falling into a courtyard. Payne had flown to Buenos Aires to watch his friend, and ex-band member of One Direction, Niall Horan.
Payne rose to stardom through the talent show The X Factor, appearing first at age 14 before returning and gaining success at age 16. One Direction came 3rd in the 2010 X-Factor competition, the five teenagers gained millions of fans in their meteoric rise. One Direction has sold over 70 million records worldwide. After the band split in 2016, Payne began a solo career with popular songs Familiar and Strip That Down For Me. Payne and singer Cheryl had a son in 2017.
According to local officials, the event occurred soon after 5pm local time. Payne has been open about his struggles with alcohol and recently claimed to be sober. There had been questions about Payne’s mental health since his appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast Impaulsive. At this time, we are not sure if Payne was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.
Soon after the news broke, Argentinian fans flooded the street outside the hotel, showing the
cultural impact this pop star had on the world. More to come…
