Liam Payne, who rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction has died at the age of 31. The British singer fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of Hotel CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Payne was pronounced dead by the medics on the spot. He is survived by his son Bear Grey Payne with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl, his parents and two older sisters. Liam Payne's death is shrouded in suspicions and conspiracies given the circumstances of his death. Drugs, alcohol and an aggressive intruder have been mentioned by Argentine officials and various media agencies.
An investigation is being carried out and nothing can be said for sure at the moment, but what's certain is that the music world has lost a star, and One Direction's loyal fans, who fashion themselves as Directioners, a part of their teenage years.
A fresh-faced Liam Payne first appeared on the British reality show X Factor in 2008. He was all of 14 when he impressed the judges with his cover of 'Fly Me To The Moon'. However, the judges told him he wasn't ready yet and to try again later.
That's exactly what Payne did. He auditioned two years hence with another classic, 'Cry Me A River'. This time around, the judges saw the X factor in him. They decided to keep five boys in the show, who had failed to make it through individually, by forming a band. And that is how the iconic One Direction was born.
Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson came together to form one of the most successful bands. They didn't win X Factor but were signed by judge Simon Cowell's label. When their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" came out, the band's rivals knew they needed to watch out.
The song was an instant hit and became number one on the British charts. This was only the first of their four UK chart-toppers in as many years. Soon stadiums full of screaming teenage fans and millions of record sales became the norm.
Suddenly Liam was living his childhood dream, but it came at a cost, and a hefty one at that. Pressure mounted on the band and tensions brewed. A lot was going on backstage and as the band members have described - "it wasn't easy being a teenager in the public eye".
As a result, One Direction split-up in 2016. A level-headed Liam, who was otherwise described as "The sensible one" in the group, turned to alcohol to cope. In the post-One Direction era, Liam decided to go solo and started releasing singles.
However, his solo career struggled to maintain momentum. His health suffered too, both physically and mentally. Liam had to be admitted to a hospital twice in 2023 because his kidney needed medical attention. He also spent time in rehab, making efforts to end his alcohol addiction.
The singer's social media posts suggest he was making an effort to get back on track.
As recently as a few hours before he was found dead, Liam Payne had shared a Snapchat video from his hotel room where everything seemed fine.
Fans are left heartbroken and shocked by his untimely death. Thousands of fans, many in tears, gathered outside the hotel with flowers and candles to pay homage to the singer. With his death, the hope of seeing One Direction regroup one last time shall remain a dream unfulfilled.
One cannot help but recall the lyrics to his song Live Forever - "I was always gonna live fast, die young".
