Liam Payne death latest: Hotel’s panicked call to police before One Direction star fell from balcony released
Singer was just 16 years old when he joined One Direction, a boyband formed by Simon Cowell on The X Factor in 2010
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One Direction star Liam Payne has died suddenly aged 31, after falling from a hotel balcony in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Local authorities have said they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.
Tearful fans have been gathering outside the hotel to mourn the singer by lighting candles, singing One Direction songs or holding moments of silence.
Stars including Liam Gallagher, X Factor host Dermot O’Leary and TV presenter and former contestant Rylan are among those to have paid tribute. Anne Twist, the mother of Payne’s former bandmate Harry Styles, wrote on Instagram: “Just a boy.”
Payne rose to fame while competing on season five of The X Factor in 2010, when he was placed in the band One Direction along with Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
They went on to become one of the world’s most successful boybands, selling 70 million records and performing in stadiums around the world.
Payne had a son, born in 2017, with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy.
Liam Payne: the ambitious One Direction star who struggled with dark side of fame
What we know about One Direction’s Liam Payne’s shocking death at a Buenos Aires hotel
Liam Payne’s final posts show how One Direction star spent his day just hours before his death
Liam Payne tributes: Harry Styles’ mother and Liam Gallagher respond to One Direction star’s shock death
Liam Payne fans sing his songs at candlelit vigil outside hotel after One Direction star’s death
What we know about One Direction’s Liam Payne’s shocking death at a Buenos Aires hotel
Local authorities are now investigating the singer’s death, with an autopsy due to be carried out.
What we know about Liam Payne’s shocking death at a Buenos Aires hotel
Authorities launch investigation into the circumstances surrounding the former One Direction member’s death
How Liam Payne felt about One Direction fame
Liam Payne referred to the time he spent in One Direction as “like uni”, but would later open up about his experiences of burnout and claustrophobia: “Cabin fever,” he told The Telegraph. “It sent me a bit AWOL at one point, if I’m honest. I can remember when there were 10,000 people outside our hotel. We couldn’t go anywhere. It was just gig to hotel, gig to hotel. And you couldn’t sleep, because they’d still be outside.”
He said his exasperation with fame came to a head in New York in 2012 when he was walking to a restaurant with his parents, and a photographer accidentally pushed his mum down. “I was like, ‘Oh, f*** this. F*** this s***,’” he recalled. “There was a swarm of them and I just wanted a burger with my parents. I cried my eyes out. I thought, ‘I can’t do this,’ and really hated my life.”
Malik announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band; One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus just months later. “It was a little bit dark and twisted towards the end of it,” Payne told The Guardian of the band’s split. “But the last few shows were really beautiful moments because the pressure cooker had been let off.
“It was almost like counting down to holiday... we were going to wake up that Monday morning with no schedule.” Payne was in therapy for two years after 1D split: “It was difficult at the start, because I didn’t really know anything about myself. It was a bit of a numb feeling.”
He spoke often about his struggles with alcoholism. In June 2022, he appeared in a controversial podcast interview with social media influencer Logan Paul, where he made a number of outlandish claims about One Direction and his former bandmates. Following a backlash, Payne apologised and later announced that he had checked into rehab.
“A lot of what I said came from the wrong place,” he said in a video shared to his YouTube channel. “I was so angry at what was going on around me and instead of taking a look inwards I decided to look outwards at everybody else, and I just think, yeah, I took it out on everybody else, which is just wrong, really.”
Despite regretting his remarks, he said the podcast interview helped him get “more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me”. He celebrated 100 days of sobriety in May 2023.
Liam Payne: The ambitious One Direction star who struggled with dark side of fame
Singer, who rose to fame as a member of boyband One Direction, died aged 31 after falling from a hotel in Buenos Aires
Hotel worker’s panicked call to police before Liam Payne fell from third floor
A hotel worker made a distressed call to police in Buenos Aires shortly before One Direction star Liam Payne died after falling from the third floor.
Two calls were made according to the Daily Mail, the first telling police that a guest was “destroying everything in his room” and appeared to be “on drugs and alcohol”.
The hotel worker then called again to say he feared the guest’s life was in danger: “We are afraid he might do something.”
Workers reportedly heard a loud sound in the courtyard before Payne’s body was discovered just after 5pm local time (9pm UK time).
Liam Payne's friend shares 'proud dad' side of singer after One Direction star's death
Video: Liam Payne’s first time meeting Cheryl Cole resurfaces after death
Video: Liam Payne’s first time meeting Cheryl Cole resurfaces after death
Liam Payne's first audition on The X Factor aged 14 resurfaced online after the One Direction singer's death aged 31. In his debut appearance on the fifth series of the ITV talent show, the musician met Cheryl Cole for the first time; years later the pair welcomed a son, Bear, together. Payne was cut during the judges’ houses stage and returned to the show in 2010, when he was grouped with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form the boy band. The musician passed away after falling from a hotel balcony in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, 16 October, police said.
UK education secretary Bridget Phillipson says Liam Payne’s death is ‘very sad news'
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has described the death of Liam Payne as “very sad news”.
She told Sky News on Thursday morning: “It's very sad news, it's no age for someone to lose their life, and my thoughts are with his friends and family, this must be a total shock for them and very, very upsetting.”
She said of his friends and family that “my thoughts are with them at what must be a really difficult time”.
VIDEO: Liam Payne fans sing his songs at candlelit vigil outside hotel after singer's death
Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood pays tribute to Liam Payne
Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood has shared a tribute to Payne, sharing a clip of the moment he made a surprise appearance with One Direction on the X Factor.
“I am shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Liam Payne,” the rock legend wrote on X/Twitter. “It was a pleasure to work with him on our X Factor performance. God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed.”
I am shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Liam Payne. It was a pleasure to work with him on our X Factor performance. God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed.🙏 pic.twitter.com/S8y3RiJWrz
— Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) October 17, 2024
Who is Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy? Inside One Direction singer’s last relationship before death
In the days before his death, Liam Payne’s girlfriend of two years, 25-year-old influencer Kate Cassidy, had joined him on his trip to Argentina. The pair had been documenting their trip together on social media.
Cassidy had been on the trip with Payne for two weeks before she decided to return home to her Florida home.
In a vlog posted on her TikTok account two days before Payne’s death, Cassidy said she was “so ready to leave” Buenos Aires after their five day trip had turned into a two week long holiday.
Full story:
Who is Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy? Inside One Direction star’s relationship
Payne was on holiday with influencer girlfriend in days before his death
Liam Payne’s favourite football team pays tribute
Liam Payne’s football team, West Bromwich Albion, have paid tribute: “We’re shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician, Liam Payne,” a statement from the club’s official X/Twitter account said.
“Our thoughts are with Liam’s family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time.”
We're shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician, Liam Payne.
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) October 17, 2024
Our thoughts are with Liam's family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time. 💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/2aqUuBVQgL
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