Liam Payne, former One Direction member, tragically died after reportedly falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina according to local authorities. The British singer was 31 years old.
This news follows legal action by his ex-fiancée Maya Henry, who had recently instructed lawyers to send Payne a cease and desist letter, accusing him of continued contact with her and her family. Henry’s attorneys, Marco Crawford and Daniel Cerna, confirmed the action, citing new concerning information. Henry, who recently released a novel titled Looking Forward about a girl falling for a pop star, hinted that the story was inspired by real events.
Earlier this month, Payne was seen taking photos with fans at Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, where his former bandmate, Niall Horan, was performing.
Payne, born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England, first rose to fame in 2008 when he auditioned for The X-Factor at age 14, performing Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” He later became part of the globally successful boy band One Direction, formed by Simon Cowell and judge Nicole Scherzinger. Alongside Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, the group became one of the best-selling boy bands, releasing multiple chart-topping albums including Up All Night (2011), Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013), Four (2014), and Made in the A.M.(2015), following Malik’s departure.
One Direction topped the UK singles chart in 2015 with their new single Drag Me Down which broke streaming records, earning the highest first-week streams for a single in the UK with 2.03m plays.
Shortly after the group took a hiatus and Payne embarked on a solo career, achieving success with his 2017 Ed Sheeran-penned single “Strip That Down,” which peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was featured on his debut solo album LP1. Payne also collaborated with artists like J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio, and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie throughout his solo journey.
