Singer Liam Payne has died. Police report that the 31-year-old fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mr Payne rose to global fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, which formed in 2010 on reality TV show The X Factor. The group then became huge and famous all over the world.
After the band announced it would be going on hiatus in 2016, in 2019 Mr Payne released his only solo album. He has a son named Bear with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
What we know
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Argentine police say Payne was found dead outside a Buenos Aires hotel after falling from a third-floor balcony.
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Officers say they responded to reports of “an aggressive male who may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol”
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They were told a “loud noise” had been heard in the courtyard of the hotel, where Mr Payne’s body was found
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The city’s SAME Emergency Medical Services reported that Payne was taken to hospital but had suffered “very serious” injuries, and there was “no possibility of resuscitation”
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An investigation has been launched
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The British Foreign Office says it is in contact with officials in Argentina
Singer Olly Murs, who was on The X Factor a year before Mr Payne, said on Instagram: “We always had a good laugh when we saw each other, sometimes it was just short and sweet encounters but when we did it was mostly about how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF (X Factor) days and the tour we shared together.”
He added that he was “lost for words”. X Factor host Dermot O’Leary wrote online: “Worst news. I remember when he was 14 he turned up to audition for X Factor and blew us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing. He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful and always humble. Sending love and prayers to his family Dx.”
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