Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, aged 31, passed away on Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, according to local authorities.
Buenos Aires police reported that Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel, located in the popular Palermo district of the Argentine capital. The fall caused “extremely severe injuries,” and medics at the scene confirmed his death immediately.
When Did Liam Payne Join One Direction?
Payne who gained prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction. He first appeared as a contestant on The X Factor in 2008, but after being eliminated, he returned in 2010 and was grouped with four other contestants to form One Direction, which became one of the most successful boy bands in history.
Following Zayn Malik’s departure from the group, Payne took on more vocal responsibilities and became one of the primary songwriters, contributing to more than half of the songs on the band’s third and fourth albums. Alongside Louis Tomlinson, he was one of the top earners in the band.
When Did Liam Payne Leave One Direction?
After One Direction went on hiatus in 2015, Payne launched a solo career, releasing his debut album LP1 in 2019. In May 2023, he revealed he was working on a new album and was excited about the project, along with plans for a tour.
One Direction, which sold over 50 million records globally, released five studio albums, four of which reached number one on the Billboard charts. Their last album, Made in the A.M., was released in November 2015, featuring hits like “Perfect” and “Drag Me Down.” The group officially disbanded in 2016 after their final tour in 2015.
In his solo career, Payne achieved success with singles like “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo, released in 2017. He was candid about his struggles with substance abuse and shared that he had completed treatment, celebrating six months of sobriety by the summer of 2023.
Though Payne planned to tour in South America in 2023, he had to postpone the dates due to a kidney infection.
