Liam Payne, former member of boy band One Direction, has died at the age of 31.
According to the Associated Press, the British pop star fell from the third floor balcony of his hotel on Wednesday. Payne had been staying at the CasaSur in the Argentinian capital's Palermo neighborhood. Police in Buenos Aires shared with the outlet that they were called because of an "aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Security Ministry of Buenos Aires spokesperson Pablo Policicchio said that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”
However, other authorities have refused to share whether they believe Payne's death was the result of intentionally leaping from the balcony. Alberto Crescenti, the director of the city's public medical system, said that investigators are conducting an autopsy and looking into the circumstances of Payne's death. Medics confirmed his death at the hotel.
Payne rose to fame after competing in the British singing competition "The X Factor" in 2010. On that series, Payne was brought together with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Tomlinson to form the group One Direction. The band placed third on that series but went on to be one of the most successful pop bands of all time.
All of the members have released solo efforts since the band's decision to split in 2016. Payne's solo album "LP1" launched the single "Strip That Down," which went platinum in the U.S. and across the pond. He had been in the city to see Horan perform, sharing earlier in the month on social media that he was traveling to Argentina and hoped to catch up with his one-time bandmate.
“I think we might just go and say hello,” he said in a video shared to Snapchat. “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about. And I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that. But just we need to talk.”
Payne was later spotted dancing and clapping at the concert.
Payne shared a son, 7-year-old Bear Payne, with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Tweedy. Tweedy was also a veteran of the pop band ecosystem, having performed for years with the group Girls Aloud.
This is a developing story.
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