Liam Payne, singer and former One Direction member, dies aged 31

In a tragic turn of circumstances, British singer and former One Direction member Liam Payne has tragically passed away in Buenos Aires at the age of 31.

News of his death broke cover after Argentinian law enforcement authorities confirmed that the star, who was staying at a hotel along Costa Rica Street in Palermo, had fallen from the third floor of the building. Local police from the 14B Police Station rushed to the scene after receiving a 911 call concerning an aggressive male suspect who was potentially under the influence. However, the suspect was not identified as Payne in the initial police statement. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear as of writing.

Singer and former One Direction member Liam Payne dies at 31

The Wolverhampton-born singer had been in the South American city earlier this week to attend former bandmate Niall Horan’s tour and was seen celebrating his birthday in his home country not too long prior to this. He is survived by his only son, Bear, born out of his relationship with English songstress Cheryl Cole.

Born in the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands to an infant nurse and a fitter, Liam Payne was the youngest of three siblings. He experienced a particularly challenging childhood that was marred by a medley of health complications and had at one point even required upwards of sixteen injections every morning and evening to help cope with the pain of his condition.

With that said, he became highly involved in sports during his schooling year and managed to establish himself as a capable athlete in spite of his health scare, ranking in the top three 1,500m runners in the country from his age group.

As for his entertainment career, he found his start at the age of twelve as a member of the Pink Productions Theatre Company. But of course, the general public would remember him best for his appearance on the fifth series of The X-Factor, which aired in 2008. 14 years old at the time, Liam Payne’s rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon secured his entry past the first stages of elimination, but he was later voted off the show.

A star is born on The X-Factor

But sensing potential, music producer Simon Cowell asked him to make a return, which he did during the show’s seventh run. While he had initially competed as an individual and was tapped as a fan favourite to win the competition, his progress stalled in the ‘Boys’ category of the judges’ houses. This was when Nicole Scherzinger suggested that Payne be enlisted in a group with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, to qualify for the ‘Groups’ category, and One Direction was born.

While they may have only placed third overall in the series, the boyband had already received nationwide attention for their vocals and good looks. Signed onto Simon Cowell’s entertainment company, they became overnight successes upon the launch of their debut single, What Makes You Beautiful, in 2011. This popularity would follow with their debut album, Up All Night, which topped charts globally.

Subsequent releases, such as Live While We’re Young, Little Things, Take Me Home, Night Changes, and Best Song Ever were all well received by the public, cementing One Direction’s status as among the most notable music acts of the 2010s. Selling out arenas with landmark tours and launching a series of tour films that grossed millions in revenue, the five teenage boys became some of the industry’s most spoken-about household names. The group later disbanded in January of 2016 when members decided to pursue individual endeavours.

Liam Payne, the solo years

In 2014, Liam Payne began experimenting with solo projects as a producer under the moniker ‘Payno’, and had worked on projects that included then girlfriend Cheryl Cole’s I Don’t Care and I Won’t Break, as well as seven songs with American rapper Juicy J.

His own music as a solo artist would be released in 2016 through the debut of Strip That Down, which became a commercial hit that landed on the number ten spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts. This followed with Bedroom Floor and Get Low, all of which formed part of his debut album dubbed LP1.

In 2023, it was revealed that Liam Payne had been working on a second studio album and had initially scheduled tour dates across Latin America in the later part of that year. However, the tour was postponed when he was hospitalised for a kidney infection. His final release was the single, Teardrops, released in March this year.