English singer Liam Payne, a former member of the pop group One Direction, died on Wednesday at the age of 31, after falling from the third floor of his hotel room in Argentina, according to multiple reports.
Alberto Crescenti, who heads the Buenos Aires emergency medical services system, told Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that Payne fell from his hotel room balcony and into a courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Crescenti did not reveal whether the former One Direction member jumped from the balcony or had accidentally fallen, but said that authorities were investigating the incident and would perform an autopsy.
Payne was reportedly in Argentina to attend his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan’s concert.
Payne’s music career started in 2008 when he auditioned on the British reality television music competition, The X Factor. He later joined four other contestants — Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson — in what became known as One Direction.
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In 2016, One Direction went on a hiatus, at which point Payne pursued a solo career. In 2017, the former One Direction member released his hit song, “Strip That Down.”
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Last year, Payne told his fans in a YouTube video that he had been sober for six months after spending nearly 100 days at a rehab facility in Louisiana.
“I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself, because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore, and I’m sure you guys didn’t either,” Payne explained.
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“I didn’t have my phone for nearly 100 days. I didn’t connect with the outside world at all,” he continued. “Upon leaving, actually, was the hardest part — was turning the phone back on, if I’m honest with you, because it was a little bit scary.”
“But it was a nice world to come back out to. Ever since then, I’ve just kind of been trying to learn to get to know this new guy,” the former One Direction added, gestured toward himself.
Payne said he “had to go away to get better,” adding that “the whole thing” leading up to that point was the “scramble to stay relevant.”
“And not that I’m not grateful, I absolutely love my life, and I love making music,” he said, adding that “the most important thing was going back to the roots of it to find out why it is that I like doing this, why I like making music you guys.”
Payne also thanked his ex-girlfriend, singer Cheryl Cole — with whom he fathered a son — “for giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment.”
“There’s no point in trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach, and I don’t think up until this point I really had much to say to him, other than just — loving him very deeply,” Payne said. “It’s obviously the most important thing, but I just kind of feel like I got more of a grip on life now.”
Payne added that he planned to go back on tour soon — without being on the influence of substances.
“I definitely don’t need those things anymore,” the singer said of alcohol, adding, “The party’s over.”
“I’m actually going back on stage sooner than you think. I got a little South American tour going on,” Payne said. “I would have never thought this time last year I’d be saying that, but it’s quite amazing, really.”
“Am I scared? Yes, a little bit,” the former One Direction member added, noting that this would be the first time he’d perform “in this frame of mind” without “having anything to lean on.”
“It does sound quite daunting,” Payne said, adding, “But I’m sure I’ll be fine — those famous last words.”
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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