Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead in the courtyard of a hotel after falling from the balcony in Buenos Aires.
The 31-year-old singer had reportedly "jumped from the balcony" of his room in the third floor of Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina's capital, Palermo. Officials said that his fall resulted in "extremely serious injuries" and his death was confirmed by the medics on the spot.
Payne's fans, Directioners -- supporters of the globally popular British boy band -- and netizens took to social media and reacted to his passing, some with sadness, shock and some also brought up the allegations levelled against him.
Liam Payne's Death | What We Know So Far
Drugs And Alcohol: Buenos Aires police had rushed to the hotel in response to an emergency call made by the staff just after 5 pm local time. The communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry -- Pablo Policicchio -- told The Associated Press that staff had warned the police of an "aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol". Notably, the singer had been vocal about his alcoholism struggles, posting a video on his YouTube channel in July 2023 where he said that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
The 911 Call: The manager of the Casa Sur Hotel can be heard on a 911 call that they had "a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol ... He's destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please." As the call went on, the manager seemingly grew anxious, informing the cops of a balcony in the room. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told a local news channel that authorities were investigating the circumstances of Payne's death and that his body has been sent for postmortem.
Scene At The Hotel: Dozens of Directioners and Liam Payne's fans were seen flocking outside the hotel from across the city as the news of his death broke. Fans were seen standing in lines on the street where police stood sentinel. Meanwhile, forensic analysts were seen exiting from the hotel, where Payne's body was removed around three hours after the fall.
Videos, Pictures On Social Media: Several purported videos of Payne falling off from the hotel's balcony are doing the rounds on social media; however, many have dismissed them, saying that they are fake. Pictures of Payne's hotel room show broken things across the space, with the TV smashed and everything in a mess.
'I'm Going To Die': Maya Henry, who dated and got engaged to Liam Payne, claimed in a podcast that the singer would often predict his death. "He would always message me ever since we broke up (saying), 'Oh, I'm not well'. He would always play with death and be like, 'Well I'm going to die. I'm not doing well.'" Henry described the former One Direction singer's messages as a "manipulation tactic" to make her fell bad for him despite their separation.
Maya Henry's Allegations: She alleged that Payne even contacted her mother asking her to have Henry call him, since she wouldn't respond to him. "It's just always the same cycle," she added. Henry said that Payne once called her mother, saying "I am not going to be around much longer." She shared during the podcast that she doesn't joke around with death, so she would try and help the person no matter what, Page Six reported. Earlier this year, Henry had announced her fictional book 'Looking Forward' inspired by journal entries she wrote while dating the singer. She alleged that one of Payne's friends even called her and asked her to not release the book for the sake of his mental health.
'So Much Worse': Henry reportedly claimed that she offered help to Payne to get back into rehab but ended up feeling like his actions were manipulative. In the days leading up to his death, she alleged that Payne had gotten "so much worse", without specifiying much details due to the legal limitations. She had sent Payne a cease-and-desist letter earlier this month as he wouldn't "leave her alone". Henry admitted that she feared something bad would happen given the way he was living, which is why she always wanted to get him help. "Ok, he's saying these things, I have to help him because if I don't I won't be able to live with myself if something does happen to him," she told the hosts of the 'The Internet Is Dead' podcast.
Liam Payne's Career: Payne was one of the five members of One Direction, a boy band which was formed for the British singing competition show 'The X Factor' in 2010. Payne had first attempted to get on the show in 2008. In his second attempt two years later, a 16-year-old Payne sang Michael Buble's version of 'Cry Me A River'. However, him and the other four boys failed to make it through auditions as solo artists. Simon Cowell and his fellow judges then combined Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what went on to become the most successful boy bands of all times. The band has given several hits like, "What Makes You Beautiful", "Night Changes", "Steal My Girl" and "Story Of My Life". He also co-wrote several of the band's hits. After One Direction went on a hiatus in 2015, Payne released several hit singles as well, including "Strip That Off", "Get Low" and "For You". Payne's last single -- 'Teardrops' -- was released in March this year.
Payne's Family: Liam Payne is survived by his parents, two sisters, and a seven-year-old son. He had his son, Bear Grey Payne, with former girlfriend and musician Cheryl Cole, known for 'Girls Aloud' and as an 'X Factor' judge during One Direction's season. His relationship with Cheryl had begun years after the X Factor season.
