Death of Celebrity Liam Payne

    Singer Liam Payne, who came to fame with the beloved band One Direction, died on Wednesday, October 16, at the age of 31. He was staying at a hotel in Palermo, Argentina, and fell from his balcony on the third floor.

The circumstances surrounding his death are still slightly mysterious, as we don’t know whether his fall was accidental or not. It appears that he was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, and police had been called to the hotel minutes before the fall to address reports of an “aggressive man”, per a statement given to NBC. The guest who made the call said that “when [Liam] is conscious he breaks the whole room” and “I don’t know if he is at risk.” Payne’s autopsy report suggested that he “could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”

    Liam Payne auditioned for The X Factor at the age of 14, and while he didn’t make the cut the first time around, he was encouraged by Simon Cowell to try again when he was older. In 2010 he was put together with Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson to compete on the show again as a group. They took on the name of One Direction and came in third place, signing to Cowell’s label and becoming the band we know and love.

   Liam was a frequent songwriter for the group, helping out on hits such as “Night Changes”, “Steal My Girl”, and “History”, and after One Direction broke up he eased into working on solo albums, producing EDM music, and making collaborations with artists such as Rita Ora, Alesso, and Zedd. He also dated fellow singer Cheryl Cole from 2016-2018, and they have a seven-year-old son together named Bear.

Photo credit: AP News

  Many fans around the world and all four of Payne’s former band mates have posted touching tributes on Instagram expressing their love for him and their shock and sadness at his passing. Niall Horan wrote that “The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime”, while Louis Tomlinson said that “Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction” and, speaking to Liam, “I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs.” Harry Styles described Payne as having “an energy for life that was infectious” and Zayn Malik wrote that “we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next…. Love you bro.”