Liam Payne, singer and former member of the One Direction band, died on Oct. 16 after falling from his third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to Buenos Aires officials.
In a statement from the Buenos Aires police, Payne had been declared dead on site due to “extremely serious injuries.”
Payne was most commonly recognized for his role in One Direction — one of the most popular boy bands worldwide according to the Associated Press. After the band went on hiatus in 2016, he produced hit songs like “Strip That Down” and “Bedroom Floor” to establish his solo career.
Since his death, tributes to the singer have poured in from friends and fans through social media, including his former bandmate and singer-songwriter, Harry Styles.
Styles posted on Instagram Thursday and wrote, “His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honor to be alongside him as he did it.”
Junior Gabby Martini, who grew up a One Direction fan, says she heard about his death through a friend’s Snapchat story and was baffled by the news.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Martini said. “Then I searched it up, and I immediately started crying.”
In a statement to the Associated Press, the police said they had responded to a call informing them of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” The police then reported Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.”
The public prosecutor’s report added that substances had been collected from Payne’s hotel room that indicated “a prior situation of alcohol and drug consumption.”
His death is currently being treated as suspicious by prosecutors, and according to ABC News sources, his preliminary toxicology report shows traces of multiple substances, including “pink cocaine” — a recreational drug that includes a mixture of several other drugs, including ketamine, opioids, MDMA and others according to the National Institutes of Health.
Before his death, Payne had been open to sharing his experience with drug abuse and had posted a YouTube video in 2023 speaking about his alcoholism and spending time at a rehab facility.
“I knew there was controversy with him and I knew he probably wasn’t in a good place,” Martini said. “After reading the articles that came out [saying] he had [fallen] off a building, the first thing I thought was suicide.”
Payne had a 7-year-old child, Bear, with ex-girlfriend and singer Cheryl Cole, who posted to Instagram on Friday sharing her sadness and asking fans to stop making speculations about his death.
“Please give Liam the dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last,” Cole wrote.
Sophomore Anne Bowser said his death was a shock, especially the support that came from One Direction fans after the fact.
“I didn’t realize how tight-knit their community was,” Bowser said. “Now that he’s gone, I feel like I never really got to appreciate what he added to One Direction.”
Since his passing, thousands of fans have held memorials in London’s Hyde Park, Washington Square Garden and other places worldwide.
Known singers such as Shawn Mendes and Rita Ora have paid tribute to Payne during performances, while other celebrities such as Simon Cowell have condoned on social media.
“I don’t think [One Direction] would do a reunion without one of the members now,” Martini said. “It was just a sad situation.”
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