Liam Payne death latest: Hotel’s panicked call to police before One Direction star fell from balcony released
Singer was just 16 years old when he joined One Direction, a boyband formed by Simon Cowell on The X Factor in 2010
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One Direction star Liam Payne has died suddenly aged 31, after falling from a hotel balcony in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Local authorities have said they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.
A hotel worker made a distressed call to police shortly before his death, it has emerged, in which they said a guest was “destroying everything in his room” and appeared to be “on drugs and alcohol”.
Workers reportedly heard a loud sound in the courtyard before Payne’s body was discovered just after 5pm local time (9pm UK time).
Stars including Liam Gallagher, X Factor host Dermot O’Leary and TV presenter and former contestant Rylan are among those to have paid tribute. Anne Twist, the mother of Payne’s former bandmate Harry Styles, wrote on Instagram: “Just a boy.”
Payne rose to fame while competing on season five of The X Factor in 2010, when he was placed in the band One Direction along with Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
They went on to become one of the world’s most successful boybands, selling 70 million records and performing in stadiums around the world.
Payne had a son, born in 2017, with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy.
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Liam Payne tributes: Harry Styles’ mother and Liam Gallagher respond to One Direction star’s shock death
Liam Payne fans sing his songs at candlelit vigil outside hotel after One Direction star’s death
Officials confirmed Liam Payne’s death ‘on the spot’, official reveals
Liam Payne suffered “extremely serious injuries” when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, local police told the Associated Press.
Medics confirmed his death on the spot, according to the AP.
Police were initially called to the hotel over reports of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” officials told the AP.
Singer Charlie Puth posts photo with Liam Payne on Instagram following news of his death
Liam Payne caught in legal battle with ex over allegations of repeated contact
Liam Payne and his ex-girlfriend, Maya Henry, were in a legal battle when he died on Wednesday night.
Henry, 23, had issued a cease and desist notice to Payne earlier this week, accusing him of repeatedly contacting her and her loved ones, The Daily Mail reported.
“‘Maya Henry issued a cease and desist last week to Liam Payne following the emergence of new and concerning information,” her lawyers told the Mail. “She has retained attorneys Marco Crawford and Daniel Cerna to represent her. At this time, that is her only comment on the matter.”
Henry also spoke out in a TikTok video earlier this month.
“Ever since we broke up he messages me, will blow up my phone, not only from his phone, it’s always from different phone numbers too, so I never know where it’s gonna come from,” Henry said in the video.
Liam Payne tributes: MTV and music icons pay condolences after One Direction star’s shock death
A wide range of stars from across the world are paying tribute to Liam Payne after the shock death of the former One Direction star at the age of 31.
Read on:
Liam Payne tributes: Condolences flood in after One Direction star’s shock death
Dermot O’Leary, Paris Hilton, Charlie Puth and Flavor Flav among stars paying their respects
In pictures: Fans mourn Liam Payne
Liam Payne death: Crowd gathers and police attend scene at Buenos Aires hotel
Liam Payne posted Snapchat Story in hours before death
Liam Payne posted several videos to his Snapchat Story in the hours leading up to his death on Wednesday.
In one of the since-deleted snaps, the One Direction star told fans he was having a “lovely day” while spending time with girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Argentina.
The couple sat around a dining room table while enjoying different breakfast foods and discussing their plans for the rest of the day, which included polo and riding horses.
Fans outside hotel pay tribute to Liam Payne
Fans gathering outside the hotel in Buenos Aires expressed their sorrow following the death of Liam Payne.
Martina di Lalla, a fan of the band went to see the British pop band in May 2015, told El Pais: “It hit us hard, One Direction was part of our adolescence.
“I camped out for two nights to see them years ago, it’s like someone [close to us] dying.”
Emergency services chief: ‘no possibility’ of saving Payne
Head of the local emergency services, Alberto Crescenti, said that “there was no possibility” for emergency personnel to save Liam Payne’s life, stating he had “very serious injuries.”
“He had very serious injuries that caused his death, such as a fracture at the base of the skull,” said the doctor, who said investigators and experts would now look into the circumstances of the tragedy.
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