One Direction star Liam Payne dead at 31

BUENOS AIRES: Liam Payne, member of hit boy band One Direction, died on Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

The 31-year-old singer, who was in Argentina to attend the concert of fellow former One Direction member Niall Horan, died on the spot according to medics, after he fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel.

Police were already on their way to the hotel before Payne was confirmed dead, due to calls regarding an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Following alleged erratic behaviour by the singer, police arrived at the hotel.

They heard a thud and subsequently found Payne’s body in the hotel courtyard.

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Payne had previously revealed struggled with drug addiction and suicidal ideation. He advocated for a larger focus on mental health, after opening up to Men’s Health Australia.

The singer songwriter, who had been at the centre of attention in the musical world since he was 16, said that he had been drunk “quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on.”

The circumstances around his death are currently unclear, with the head of the state emergency medical system, Alberto Crescenti, confirming that authorities were investigating his death and conducting an autopsy.

Fans gathered outside the Casa Sur Hotel, lighting candles for Payne as part of an impromptu vigil.

Fellow musician Charlie Puth expressed his dismay at the news. “Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone,” the singer said.

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