Liam Payne, beloved singer/songwriter and former member of the 2010s boy band One Direction has reportedly died at age 31. Payne was found dead after falling from a three-story balcony at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 2, 2024. Police arrived at the scene following an emergency call from the hotel, reporting aggressive behavior from a man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It was later sought out that Payne had passed away due to a cranial fracture and other serious injuries. 

Payne was born on Aug. 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, England. He was born premature, and was in and out of the hospital for the duration of the first five years of his life. Growing up, Payne was a part of a club cross country team and found solace in running. At the age of 12, he was introduced to show-business through theater, opening countless possibilities for him to embark on his career. 

Payne’s career started picking up in 2008, when he auditioned for British T.V. show, The X Factor. Although he was cut at the boot camp stage, he was determined to make it further and returned to the show in 2010. Competing in the “groups” category of the show, Payne was  introduced to Harry Styles, Nial Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayne Malik. This group later became known as the award winning band One Direction. One Direction’s fan base increased exponentially over a short period of time, as they released countless hit singles and were on multiple radio stations at the time. Payne was not only a substantial member of the team, but was also credited for co-writing over half of their songs on their third and fourth albums, “Midnight Memories” and “Four.” 

Although One Direction received a lot of love from their fans, there’s often a dark side to fame. Payne reportedly used alcohol and drugs to cope with the fame of the band and this kickstarted his addiction. Although he faced these hardships, Payne was adored by millions and will sincerely be missed by his fans.