Liam Payne’s body sent for autopsy as authorities try to determine what led to fatal hotel fall: Live updates
Tributes have quickly poured in for young star Liam Payne, who shot to fame on ‘The X Factor’ as part of One Direction alongside Harry Styles
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Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, told the Associated Press the singer “had jumped from the balcony of his room” on Wednesday evening.
Now, authorities say they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England, Payne rose to fame while competing on season five of The X Factor in 2008 in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.
After the audition stages, Cowell grouped Payne with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. Following the 2011 launch of their debut album, Up All Night, One Direction went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne had a son, born in 2017, whom he shared with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole.
Tributes from across the music industry have quickly poured in for Payne.
Singer Charlie Puth posts photo with Liam Payne on Instagram following news of his death
Liam Payne caught in legal battle with ex over allegations of repeated contact
Liam Payne and his ex-girlfriend, Maya Henry, were in a legal battle when he died on Wednesday night.
Henry, 23, had issued a cease and desist notice to Payne earlier this week, accusing him of repeatedly contacting her and her loved ones, The Daily Mail reported.
“‘Maya Henry issued a cease and desist last week to Liam Payne following the emergence of new and concerning information,” her lawyers told the Mail. “She has retained attorneys Marco Crawford and Daniel Cerna to represent her. At this time, that is her only comment on the matter.”
Henry also spoke out in a TikTok video earlier this month.
“Ever since we broke up he messages me, will blow up my phone, not only from his phone, it’s always from different phone numbers too, so I never know where it’s gonna come from,” Henry said in the video.
Liam Payne tributes: MTV and music icons pay condolences after One Direction star’s shock death
A wide range of stars from across the world are paying tribute to Liam Payne after the shock death of the former One Direction star at the age of 31.
Read on:
Liam Payne tributes: Condolences flood in after One Direction star’s shock death
Dermot O’Leary, Paris Hilton, Charlie Puth and Flavor Flav among stars paying their respects
In pictures: Fans mourn Liam Payne
Former ‘X-Factor’ presenter Dermot O’Leary posts tribute to Liam Payne
Liam Payne: the ambitious One Direction star who struggled with dark side of fame
Liam Payne, who rose to global fame as a member of the British pop band One Direction, has died aged 31.
Read The Independent’s full obituary:
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, struggled to assert his creative identity outside of the group
Payne reportedly in Argentina for Niall Horan show
Liam Payne was reportedly in Buenos Aires for a show by Niall Horan, previously telling fans he needed to “square a couple of things” with his former One Direction bandmate.
“We’re going to Argentina,” he wrote on Instagram. “One, because we want to. Two, because we want to. And three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say ‘hello.’”
Payne also admitted: “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 things with the boy. No bad vibes or nothing like that but we just need to talk.”
Liam Payne death: Crowd gathers and police attend scene at Buenos Aires hotel
Liam Payne posted Snapchat Story in hours before death
Liam Payne posted several videos to his Snapchat Story in the hours leading up to his death on Wednesday.
In one of the since-deleted snaps, the One Direction star told fans he was having a “lovely day” while spending time with girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Argentina.
The couple sat around a dining room table while enjoying different breakfast foods and discussing their plans for the rest of the day, which included polo and riding horses.
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