Liam Payne, a former member of the popular boy band One Direction, died on Thursday at the age of 31. The popular musician died after falling three floors from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said that Liam Payne fell into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel. The case is still under police investigation. Liam Payne is survived by his son Bear who he shared with singer Cheryl Cole.
Here are five points on the former One Direction member:
1. Liam Payne was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England. In 2008, Liam auditioned for The X Factor but was eliminated. He returned two years later and passed the audition with the rendition of the classic song Cry Me A River. Instead of following the solo route as a musician, the makers of the show put him in a band with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik and named them One Direction. While the band finished third on the show, they were immediately signed to Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment.
2. One Direction debuted with the pop classic What Makes You Beautiful in 2011. The single's success was followed by their debut album, Up All Night, which released in March 2012. After that, the group embarked on their first-ever world tour. Over the next four years, One Direction released four more albums. Liam wrote the lyrics to half of the band's last two albums songs, including History, Steal My Girl, and Story Of My Life.
3. One Direction went on a hiatus in 2016. Post band's breakup, Liam Payne embarked on his solo music journey in 2017 and released the song Strip That Down featuring US rapper Quavo. The song peaked at number three in the UK and received two Brit Award nominations. He released his first EP First Time in 2018 and then his full album LP1 in 2019.
4. Liam Payne started dating singer Cheryl Cole in 2016. They welcomed their son Bear in 2017 but split up the next year. Later, Liam got engaged to model Maya Henry in 2020, but they called it off in June 2021. In 2022, he got together with US influencer Kate Cassidy.
5. Liam Payne experienced some health issues in recent years. In 2023, he was hospitalised twice, allegedly for kidney issues. His solo career also had trouble keeping up as his second solo album and a documentary about his life were reportedly shelved. His March comeback single Teardrops failed to make it to the top of the charts.