‘Liam will forever live in our hearts’ – family statementPayne fell from third-floor hotel room balconyHotel worker sought help for intoxicated guestShocked music industry expresses grief
Payne, who rose to fame with the boy band on The X Factor, died after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
“I will miss him always, my lovely friend,” three-time Grammy winner Styles said in a statement on Instagram.
Styles said Payne’s “greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it”.
“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious,” he said.
“He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving.
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life.”
Styles said his “heart breaks” for Payne’s family and his seven-year-old son Bear, who he shared with his former partner, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
Payne’s former One Direction bandmates issued a joint statement last night and said they were “completely devastated” at the death of their friend.
In a statement signed “Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry”, they said: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.
“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
“We will miss him terribly.
“We love you Liam,” the band said.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday evening, former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, said: “I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.
“I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for.
“Liam was an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.
“And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam.
“A message to you Liam if you’re listening,
“I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours , reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.
“I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.
“I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.
“Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X,” Tomlinson said.
Louis Tomlinson promised to be uncle to Liam Payne’s son (Joe Giddens/PA)
Zayn Malik said he “never got to thank” Liam Payne for supporting him through some of the “most difficult” times in his life.
“Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you to you hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there were so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and I was loved.
“Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated and gave no f***s about telling people they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.
“When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional. I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next.
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“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever.
“There is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro,” Zayn said on Instagram.
The circumstances surrounding Payne’s death were suspicious and possibly involved drugs, though there was no sign of a third party being involved, Argentine prosecutors said on Thursday.
He first shot to fame as a teenager and grappled with the pressures of global stardom.
As the news ricocheted around the world, fans and media swarmed the Casa Sur Hotel in the chic Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital where Payne was found dead after plunging from his third-floor hotel room.
One Direction backstage at the Brit Awards 2013. Photo: Redferns
The Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “in complete disarray” with broken objects and furniture. They found packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and over-the-counter medications strewn about his belongings. The Argentine public prosecutor said there also appeared to be alcohol and narcotics in the room.
Forensics teams reported that a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone were retrieved from the building’s internal courtyard where Payne’s body was found.
The prosecutor said that the autopsy showed internal bleeding and 25 traumatic injuries to his skull, limbs and abdomen, consistent with a fall. It said those injuries alone were enough to cause his death.
There were no signs of a third party being involved, the prosecutor said, but described Payne’s case as “suspicious,” citing the star’s apparent alcohol and drug usage.
The lack of defensive injuries on Payne’s hands indicated that he may have fallen into a state of unconsciousness, the public prosecutor said, contributing to the possibility that Payne “was going through some kind of substance abuse episode” at the time. All signs indicated that Payne was alone at the time of his death, the prosecutor added.
The results of the requested toxicology tests are pending and could take weeks to become public.
Medical examiners listed his cause of death as “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding.” Authorities said they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne in his hotel room hours earlier in an effort to reconstruct Payne’s final moments.
The two women had left the hotel by the time of the incident, the prosecution said.
First responders work outside the hotel where Liam Payne, former One Direction member, was found dead, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian.
In the hours before his death, a video was posted on Payne’s Snapchat account, saying: “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina.”
The Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina “regarding reports of the death of a British man”.
But a spokesman declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told Radio Mitre that Payne fell 13 to 14 metres into the inside patio in the hotel, and died instantly from the fall. He added a post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death.
People gather outside the hotel
On Wednesday, police said Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room,” without elaborating on how they came to that conclusion or whether the jump was intentional. Police said they had rushed to the hotel in response to an emergency call just after 5 p.m. local time that had warned of an intoxicated guest acting erratically.
A hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call recording obtained by The Associated Press saying the hotel has “a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol. … He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please.”
Tributes continued pouring in Thursday from pop industry figures and fellow musicians.
The Indo Daily: One Direction singer Liam Payne dead at 31- What we know so far
Former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne said the music industry had failed One Direction star Liam Payne, who was “just a kid” when he entered “one of the toughest industries in the world”.
The British singer-songwriter rose to fame after being put together with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson on The X Factor in 2010.
Osbourne, who was a judge on the ITV talent show for seven years, made a guest appearance on the 2010 show to assist Louis Walsh at the judges’ houses phase of the competition.
“Liam, my heart aches. We all let you down,” the 72-year-old said in a post on Instagram.
“Where was this industry when you needed them?
“You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner?”
Osbourne signed off the post writing “rest in peace my friend”.
Liam Payne
Payne previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, describing hitting “rock bottom” to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett.
He admitted his addiction to alcohol continued during the Covid pandemic, but in 2023 he posted a YouTube video confirming he was almost six months sober after nearly 100 days in a US rehab facility.
Earlier this month, Payne attended bandmate Horan’s Argentinian concert alongside his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid, Familiar and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.
The song was one of two tracks that reached the top 10 in the UK official charts, alongside For You with Rita Ora from the film Fifty Shades Freed – which the duo performed at the Brit Awards in 2018.
Payne was in a high-profile relationship with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl between 2016 and 2018 and the couple had a son, Bear, in 2017.
Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Simon Cowell telling him to return to the ITV talent show two years later.
Liam Payne has died aged 31 (Ben Birchall/PA)
In 2010, he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.
In August 2023, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering 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”.
In October that 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 August this year, Payne was announced as a judge on a new Netflix show alongside former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.
The stars were to judge attempts to create a band, looking at the contestants’ chemistry as they formed groupings in the musical competition series.
