Liam Payne, Ex-One Direction, Dies In Hotel Fall
• Liam Payne, former member of British pop band One Direction, died Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, local authorities said. Variety reports that Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said that Payne fell into a courtyard from the third floor balcony at Casa Sur Hotel. It’s unclear if the fall was an accident, and authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death.
According to NBC News, police “were directed to the hotel by a 911 call reporting an aggressive man,” the emergency services agency, known as SAME, said. The agency did not say whether drugs or alcohol was involved, just that the 911 call reported that could be the case.
Payne was one of the original members of One Direction, along with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. The band, famous for such hits as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story Of My Life,” was formed in 2010 after appearing on the TV show The X Factor. The group has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2016.
Variety‘s coverage notes that Payne was open about his struggles with drinking and suicidal thoughts, and just last year stated that he had completed more than three months of sobriety.
