Former One Direction Star Liam Payne Dies In Argentina After Falling From Hotel Balcony
The entertainment world is mourning the sudden loss of Liam Payne, who tragically passed away at the age of 31. The former One Direction member died after falling from a hotel balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16. Argentine news channel TN was the first to report the heartbreaking news, which was later confirmed by the Policía Federal Argentina.
Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. According to Alberto Crescenti, head of Buenos Aires’ public emergency medical services (SAME), Liam fell into the hotel’s internal courtyard. Emergency responders arrived quickly but found the injuries too severe to resuscitate him. Crescenti confirmed that the singer was pronounced dead at 5:11 p.m. local time.
Liam leaves behind his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey, whom he shared with his ex-partner Cheryl Cole, former member of Girls Aloud. The two welcomed Bear in 2017 and, though they separated in 2018, they continued to co-parent their son.
Liam’s rise to fame began in 2010 when he appeared on The X Factor UK, where he was grouped with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson to form One Direction. Though they didn’t win the show, the boy band went on to become one of the most iconic pop groups in history, releasing four hugely successful albums and gaining a worldwide fanbase. Liam co-wrote many of the group’s hits, including Steal My Girl and Night Changes.
After One Direction went on hiatus in 2016, Liam pursued a solo career, breaking into the scene with his 2017 hit Strip That Down, featuring Quavo, which amassed over a billion streams on Spotify. He followed this up with his debut album LP1 in 2019, establishing himself as both a singer and rapper.
On the personal front, Liam’s romantic life was often in the spotlight. After his split from Cheryl, he was engaged twice to model Maya Henry, with their on-again-off-again relationship ending in 2022. At the time of his death, he was dating Kate Cassidy, whom he was first seen with in October 2022.
Despite his professional successes, Liam faced struggles with his mental health and alcohol dependency, which he openly discussed throughout his career. In 2019, he shared with Men’s Health Australia how the pressure of One Direction’s fame contributed to his drinking. “It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band,” he said, describing how he used alcohol as a way to cope.
Liam made efforts to regain control over his life, and in July 2023, he revealed in a YouTube video that he had been sober for six months after spending nearly 100 days in rehab. “I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore,” he said, explaining how his rehab experience helped him regain a sense of normality.
Reflecting on the pressures of fame, the singer once said, “There have been a lot of people in trouble with mental health that aren’t really getting the help they need, and I think that’s a bit of a problem in our industry.”
