Former One Direction star, Liam Payne has died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, multiple sources have reported. The musician was only 31 years old.
Per the Sydney Morning Herald, local newspaper La Nacion reported that police were called to a hotel in Buenos Aires after receiving an emergency call about “an aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol.”
Citing officials, the newspaper added that ambulance workers later confirmed the death of Liam, who was found in an interior hotel patio.
Eyewitnesses told TMZ that Liam fell from his room on the third floor of the city’s CasaSur Palermo Hotel. The circumstances surrounding the fall are unclear and under investigation, according to multiple outlets.
Liam first shot to fame when he was only a teenager, after he was placed in boyband One Direction—alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan—in the 2010 season of X Factor. It was the second time Liam had auditioned for the show and the band placed third.
One Direction released their debut single, ‘What Makes You Beautiful,’ shortly after and all five members—who were teens at the time—were catapulted to international fame. They went on to become one of the best-selling boybands of all time. After the band announced an “indefinite hiatus” in 2016, Liam went on to launch a solo career.
Liam’s family is yet to release an official statement. He leaves behind his seven-year-old son, Bear, who he shares with former girlfriend, Cheryl Cole.
More to come.