Liam Payne has died age 31.
The One Direction singer fell from a hotel balcony this afternoon in Buenos Aires, Argentina, state police have said.
He was staying at the Hotel Cas Sur in the neighbourhood of Palermo, local media reported.
Police said they attended the hotel after receiving an emergency call in which they were ‘informed of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol’.
When arriving on the scene, the officer in charge said he heard a loud sound in the inner courtyard.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the Buenos Aires medical emergency services SAME, said on the television channel TN: ‘Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life.
‘However, based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.’
Police said the body had been transported to a morgue.
Earlier this month, Payne attended one of Niall Horan’s concerts in Argentina. He was dancing at his show two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
The singer was 16 when he joined One Direction in 2010 after being put in the group during an X Factor audtion alongside Niall, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson.
Their hits including What Makes You Beautiful, Story of My Life, and Night Changes made them global stars. Together, they acheieved four UK number one albums and four number ones singles.
Following the band’s hiatus announcement in 2016, Payne released solo music. This included Strip That Down in 2017 and the album LP1 in 2019.
He is survived by Bear, born in 2017, who he shared with former partner Cheryl. Payne and Cheryl dated between 2015 and 2018.
Tributes have begun for Payne as fans and friends learn of the devastating news.
‘RIP Liam Payne condolences to friends and family,’ shared brothers John and Edward Grimes, who are known as Jedward.
Rylan, who also found fame on X Factor wrote: ‘Extremely sad news. V tragic and so young. RIP Liam x.’
Paris Hilton wrote: ‘So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend.’ Steven Bartlett called the news ‘absolutely heartbreaking’.
A statement on the official X account of the Brit Awards said: ‘We’re incredibly sad to learn of the tragic passing of Liam Payne. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this time’. One Direction won through Brit Awards while performing together.
In August last year, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering from a ‘serious kidney infection’.
He said the infection was something ‘I wouldn’t wish on anyone’ and he had been instructed by doctors to ‘rest and recover’.
Later last year he was banned from driving in the UK after admitting a speeding offence.
The singer was reportedly travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone and was banned from driving for six months, as well as paying a fine, in October 2023.
Payne previously confessed to suffering some ‘very dark years’, despite his fame and success.
‘There were a couple of very dark years of me going through extreme peril with different mental health things,’ he told BBC.
This is a developing story.