The death of Liam Paynewho rose to stardom with the British boy band One Direction and had to deal with an immense fame global in his teens, shocked the entire world on Thursday.
Fans, music industry figures and colleagues remembered Payne31 years old, who died the day before after falling from the balcony of a Hotel in Argentina.
The police of Buenos Aires said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor of the Hotel Home Sur in the famous Palermo neighborhood of the Argentine capital, which caused “extremely serious injuries.” Doctors confirmed his death on the spot, the note added.
Pablo Policicchio, general director of communications for the Ministry of Justice and Security of Buenos Aires, said in a statement to The Associated Press that Payne “He had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.” The police went to Hotel in response to a call from emergency just after 5:00 p.m., he added, warning of the presence of a “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs either alcohol”.
The AP could not confirm the details of the incident since there is a investigation in progress. Alberto Crescenti, head of the Emergency Medical Care System, told Argentina’s Todo Noticias television channel that authorities were investigating the circumstances of his death and conducting an investigation. autopsy.
In a call to the 911 emergency telephone number obtained by the AP, a manager of the Hotel reporting the presence of a “guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol (…) it is breaking up the entire room, we need you to send someone, please.”
The manager’s voice becomes more anxious as he continues and points out that the room has a balcony: “we are a little afraid that he will do something that puts his life at risk.” According to the staff of the Hotel, Payne He had been staying there for several days.
Payne He was known for being the most sensible, and disheveled, of the quintet that emerged from a television talent show and became a freak of the pop with a huge international army of dedicated followers. In recent years he had acknowledged his struggle with alcoholism, and in July 2023 he published a video on his YouTube channel where he said that he had been suffering for six months. sober after receiving treatment. Its representatives did not immediately respond to emails or calls.
He rolling stone Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction In 2014, he said he was “shocked and sad.”
“God bless Liam(I am) thinking of all your loved ones. “He will be greatly missed,” Wood wrote on the social network X.
Paris hilton He also expressed his condolences in X and described the news as “very disturbing.” The Backstreet Boys said in a social media post that their hearts went out to “’directioners’ around the world.”
dozens of fans Argentinian of One Direction flocked to the Hotel Home Sur after hearing the news, forming lines that extended along the cordoned-off street. Forensic investigators could be seen leaving the building, where the body of Payne It was removed about three hours after the fall.
Young people who recorded with their cell phones expressed their consternation and pain while offering improvised with rows of candles and flowers grew rapidly outside the Hotel.
“I didn’t think he was going to die so young, very young,” Isabella Milesi, 21, told the AP. “I live a few blocks away and I wanted to say goodbye.”
Payne He was one of the five members of One Directionwhich was formed after each of them entered the British singing reality show “The X Factor” on their own in 2010, two years after their first attempt to enter the contest. That second time, at 16 years old, Payne performed Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me a River” and, although he was nervous at first, he warmed up to the cheers and applause of the public.
After his companions were also left out of the competition as soloists, but Simon Cowell and the other judges reunited PayneZayn Malik, Harry StylesNiall Horan and Louis Tomlinson to form one of the most successful boy bands — even if they lost the contest.
Each member had their own personalityand Paynea native of Wolverhampton, England, was responsible. The band became known for their sound pop and romantic hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Story of My Life.”
Payne He had featured solos on songs like “Stole My Heart” and “Change Your Ticket,” in addition to co-writing several of the band’s songs. One Direction had six hits in the top 10 on the list Billboard until their disbandment in 2016 and a very loyal fan base known as “directioners”, many of whom were teenagers at the time.
“Since I was little I always liked One Direction. See that (Payne) has died and that there can never again be a gathering (meeting) of the boys is incredible, it kills me,” said Juana Relh, an 18-year-old fan, outside the Hotel. “I’m shocked, I can’t believe it.”
With his meteoric rise to fame, Payne had said that it took him some time to adjust to the eye public.
“I don’t think you can deal with that, it’s a little crazy for us to see that people have that kind of frame of mind about us and what we do,” he said in a 2013 interview with the AP after recounting an experience in which one fan was shocked to meet him.
One Direction announced an indefinite “hiatus” in 2016 and Paynelike each of his former bandmates, followed a career in lonelyorienting towards EDM and hip hop.
While Styles became a big star in lonelythe others had more modest success. Payne released the single “Strip That Down” with Quavo in 2017, which reached top 10 of Billboard and remained on the charts for several months. He released the album “LP1” in 2019 and his latest release, a single called “Teardrops,” came out in March.
In 2020, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of One Direction, Payne shared a screenshot of the message of text that he sent to his father the day he joined the group, which said: “I’m in a boy band.”
“What a trip… I had no idea what awaited us when I sent this message to my father years ago at the exact moment the band was formed,” he wrote.
Payne had a son 7 years old, Bear Gray Paynewith his ex-girlfriend the singer Cherylknown as Cheryl Cole when he was performing with Girls Aloud. She was a judge on “X Factor” during the season of One Directionalthough their relationship began years later. Payne He was engaged to Maya Henry from August 2020 to early 2022. Henry published a novel earlier this year that she said was based on their relationship.
Payne was born on August 29, 1993. In addition to his sonis survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payneand his two sisters older, Ruth and Nicola.
