Liam Payne, the singer who rose to fame as a member of One Direction, died on Wednesday. Authorities say Payne jumped from his third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31 years old.
According to TMZ, witnesses say Payne had been “acting erratic” in the hotel lobby earlier in the day, claiming he had smashed his laptop and needed to be carried back to his room. (The outlet first broke the news along with cropped photos of what appeared to be Payne’s body but has removed the images following widespread backlash.) The Buenos Aires Security Ministry has shared that local police responded to an emergency call around 5 p.m. about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” The AP obtained audio of the call, in which a hotel manager can be heard saying a guest was destroying the room.
In the wake of his death, People reports Payne was recently “extremely overwhelmed” by legal issues with his ex-fiancée, 23-year-old Maya Henry. Henry reportedly filed a cease-and-desist order against Payne earlier this week after she accused him of obsessively contacting her and her family in a TikTok video. The former couple broke off their engagement in 2022. More recently, Payne was dating influencer Kate Cassidy, who appeared to be traveling with him in South America last week but flew back to the U.S. a few days before his death.
In a statement published by a London-based news agency, Payne’s family said, “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.” Payne is also survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, who he shared with his ex Cheryl Cole.
One Direction, whose members also included Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, was formed on the British singing-competition series The X Factor back in 2010. The group quickly became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time until they called it quits in 2016. Payne went on to launch his own solo career. He was recently spotted at one of Horan’s concerts in Buenos Aires.
This post has been updated.