One Direction's Liam Payne dies in Argentina: All the latest on the tragedy

Liam Payne of One Direction died suddenly on Wednesday after apparently jumping from a third-floor room at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne was 31 years old. According to the hotel manager, who placed the call to 911, drugs and alcohol might have been a factor in Payne's death.

The incident happened at around 5 pm local time. Prior to Payne's death, the hotel manager had called authorities and told them that "a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol...He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please." The manager also told the police that Payne's hotel room had a balcony, clearly concerned that Payne might have been at risk for jumping from his third-floor room.

Medics who first arrived on the scene appear to have confirmed Payne's death immediately upon arriving. Police arrived a bit earlier than the medics and reported "extremely serious injuries." There is a likelihood that Payne died quickly from his fall.

One Direction's Liam Payne dies suddenly in Argentina

Payne had been open about battling alcoholism in recent years. He posted a YouTube video in July 2023 talking about the same and that, at the time, he had been sober for six months. Argentine officials do plan on doing an autopsy to confirm what Payne might have had in his system, if anything, before a final cause of death will be announced.

Payne was part of One Direction, one of the biggest-selling boy bands in the history of music, from the group's beginning. He had auditioned as a solo artist for the popular TV series, The X Factor, originally in 2008. He did so again in 2010 when he sang "Cry Me a River."

Payne did not make it through the competition in 2010, but show creator Simon Cowell saw the potential to add Payne and others to a vocal group that would be called One Direction. Other members of the group included Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson. One Direction has sold north of 70 million records. The group came to an end in 2016.

Payne released one full-length album as a solo artist called LP1. The album peaked at number 17 on the UK charts but did not crack the top 100 in the US. His debut single, "Strip That Down," reached the top ten in both the UK and the US.

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