Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, tragically died at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday after falling from a balcony. While many details surrounding the British singer’s death remain unclear, reports from emergency services and authorities are beginning to piece together the circumstances.
Payne was a global sensation and a member of the beloved boy band formed on The X Factor in 2010.
Payne was staying at a hotel in the upscale Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. According to hotel staff, he had been there for two to three days and was in the country to visit his former bandmate Niall Horan. Horan was in Argentina on tour, and the two had maintained a close friendship since One Direction’s breakup in 2016.
Payne attended the concert, sharing social media videos of himself and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, singing and dancing.
The BBC spoke to fan Noelia Verón, who saw him on September 30 and again at the concert on October 2. She stated, “He was fine. Later, people claimed he was either drunk or on drugs, but that wasn’t true at all. He spoke with us, hugged us, and even made jokes.”
Verón noted that at Niall’s show, he was “dancing, waving, and cheering,” and “seemed to be having a great time.”
It’s also known that the pop star had visited a friend’s house in Argentina in the days leading up to his death, accompanied by Cassidy. However, when Payne fell to his death on Wednesday, Cassidy had already left the country.