Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. Emergency services had been called to the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood in response to an emergency call warning of “an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.” Payne was one of five members of the boy band One Direction which formed in 2010 during the UK singing competition 'The X Factor’. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00Louis, Zayn, Harry, Liam and Niall were baby-faced teens when they appeared on The X Factor in
00:082010. Failing to make it through the contest as solo artists, Simon Cowell and the other
00:14judges brought the five of them together to compete as a group, dubbed One Direction.
00:20They lost on the final weekend, but it was the start of one of the most successful ever
00:25boy bands, attracting millions of screaming fans.
00:31The outpouring of grief at Liam Payne's death in Buenos Aires on Wednesday is a small
00:37indicator of just how well-loved he and the band were.
00:42Born in Wolverhampton in 1993, Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, aged
00:4914, before trying again two years later.
00:53Being knocked back twice as a solo act, and failing to win the competition with One Direction
00:58were minor hiccups. The group would go on to release five albums, selling more than
01:0420 million copies, and embark on four world tours.
01:09Despite their success, One Direction split in 2016, and Payne embarked on a solo career.
01:15It was also at this time he began a relationship with Girls Aloud star Cheryl, whom he'd met
01:21when she was a judge on The X Factor.
01:24They had a son together in 2017, named Bear, but the couple split the following year.
01:30He was subsequently engaged to American model Maya Henry, but their relationship ended in
01:352022.
01:38Outside of music, Payne was known for his philanthropy and love of football. He was
01:42a big supporter of UNICEF, and captained the England team in the 2022 edition of Soccer
01:47Aid to raise funds for the children's charity.
01:51Aged just 31 at the time of his death, Payne had spent half of his life in the public eye.
01:58He has been candid about his struggles with his mental health, substance abuse and time
02:03in rehab.
02:05On Wednesday 16 October, emergency services were called to the Casa Sur hotel in the Buenos
02:11Aires neighbourhood of Palermo.
02:14Payne had fallen from his hotel balcony, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
02:19He had been in the Argentinian capital to see his former bandmate Niall Horan on his
02:24solo tour.
02:26Payne is survived by his son Bear, his parents Jeff and Karen, and his two older sisters
02:31Ruth and Nicola.