Liam Payne, One Direction singer, dies at 31
The "Story of My Life" songwriter fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, PEOPLE confirmed.
Liam Payne, the English pop singer best known for his work in One Direction, has died at age 31.
The singer fell from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, PEOPLE has confirmed. Payne was in Argentina where he attended a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan.
EW has reached out to police and reps for Payne.
Argentine news channel Todo Noticias TV first reported the news.
Born in 1993, Payne first auditioned for The X Factor at age 14 in 2008. After being cut, asked to return, and cut again in that first attempt, Payne came back to the show two years later, joining Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Horan to form One Direction after individually auditioning for the show in 2010. They ultimately placed third on the show.
After their time on The X Factor, One Direction quickly became one of the most popular pop acts of their generation. The group's first album, 2011's Up All Night, went triple platinum in the United States and 4x platinum in the United Kingdom. The album launched the hit single "What Makes You Beautiful," which, like the vast majority of the group's songs, features prominent vocals from Payne. The singer received songwriting credits on three of that album's tracks: "Taken," "Everything About You," and "Same Mistakes."
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The following year, One Direction released its second album, Take Me Home, featuring the Payne co-compositions "Last First Kiss," "Back for You," and "Summer Love." Payne expanded his songwriting duties on 2014's Midnight Memories, helping pen hits like "Story of My Life" and the title song, as well as album tracks like "Diana," "Little White Lies," and "Better Than Words."
Payne co-wrote the two singles, "Steal My Girl" and "Night Changes," from 2014's Four. The album was ultimately Malik's last with 1D, as he announced his official departure from the group in March 2015. Payne received writing credits on eight of the album's 12 tracks, including fan-favorites like "No Control" and "Spaces." He also helped write five songs on the band's fifth and final album, 2015's Made in the A.M.
After five albums and four massive world tours, One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in early 2016. Payne released his first solo single, "Strip That Down," in May 2017. Co-written by Ed Sheeran and featuring a guest verse by Quavo, the song was a success, ultimately hitting number 10 on the Billboard chart in the U.S.
Payne released his first solo album, LP1, in 2019. The album featured collaborations with Zedd, Rita Ora, and J Balvin. His EP with Alesso, Midnight Hour, released in 2020, and his song "Sunshine" for the animated movie Ron's Gone Wrong came the following year.
The singer released "Teardrops," his first new song in three years, in March. The track was expected to be the lead single from his forthcoming second solo album, which he began working on in 2023. Payne had also planned to tour in Latin America in 2023, but had to cancel his plans due to a kidney infection. Additionally, Payne was one of the judges on Netflix's planned Building the Band reality series, which has no release date yet.
Payne is survived by his son, Bear, with his ex Cheryl Cole, and by his fiancée, influencer Kate Cassidy.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.