Liam Payne, a former member of the hit boyband One Direction, has died at the age of 31, after falling from a hotel in Argentina, local officials told Argentine media.
Payne joined Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to become One Direction in 2010 after appearing on the British version of The X Factor. After each singer failed to make it through the reality show competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined them into what would become one of the most successful boy bands.
The band would reach mega stardom and go on to sell more than 50 million records worldwide, including five studio albums, of which four hit number one, according to Billboard.
The group officially broke up in 2016, after Malik left the band in 2015. One Direction last toured together in 2015, according to the band’s website.
The band’s last album was Made in the A.M. in Nov. 2015, which included the hits “Perfect” and “Drag Me Down.”
Payne would go on to have a solo music career, including the 2017 single “Strip That Down” with Quavo.
In March, Payne released his latest single, “Teardrops,” which he cowrote with *NSYNC’s JC Chasez. His most recent post on X appears to be Payne responding to fan art for Teardrops to which he wrote, “You are all SO talented, I’m very lucky to have you all!”
Payne had been dating influencer Kate Cassidy, who he was first spotted with in Oct. 2022, PEOPLE reported.
Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud.
Payne is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.
