One Direction alum Liam Payne died on October 16, 2024, at the age of 31.
That evening, Us Weekly confirmed Payne had fallen to his death from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The singer had sustained a cranial fracture and other serious injuries that were too severe for treatment. Local emergency responders pronounced Payne dead on the scene.
The Brit Award winner is survived by his parents, his two older sisters and his son Bear, whom he shared with ex Cheryl Cole.
Payne rose to fame in 2010 as a member of the boy band One Direction, which was formed by Simon Cowell and his fellow X Factor UK judges. Despite the group — which also consisted of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik — finishing in third place, 1D went on to become one of the biggest music acts in history.
Keep scrolling for everything we know so far about Payne’s shocking death:
When Did Liam Payne Die?
Us Weekly confirmed on October 16, 2024 that Payne fell to his death from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires. Police sources confirmed at the time that it is “not known whether he jumped or was pushed.” An investigation is ongoing.
What Did 911 Calls Reveal About Liam Payne’s Death?
The chief receptionist at the CasaSur Palermo had called 911 about Payne’s allegedly troubling behavior.
“So, we have a guest who is high on drugs and who is trashing the room,” the employee claimed in a translated transcript of the call, which was obtained by multiple outlets.
While the line cut out, the receptionist dialed the emergency hotline back and warned that a guest “may be in danger” since his hotel room had a balcony. In the second call, the receptionist alleged that the then-unnamed guest was “trashing the entire room” whenever he was “conscious.”
Payne previously revealed in December 2023 that he was 100 days sober after completing a rehab stay, but it is not known whether the musician maintained his sobriety at the time of his death.
What Was Liam Payne’s Cause of Death?
A cause of death has not yet been officially revealed, but Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti noted in a statement that Payne’s injuries were too severe to treat on the scene.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” Crescenti said in a statement, per local Buenos Aires outlet La Nacion. “Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”
A preliminary autopsy report viewed by Us revealed that Payne died from “multiple injuries involving ‘internal and external hemorrhage,’” and was believed to be in a “state of semi or total unconsciousness” at the time of the fall.
ABC News later reported that a partial autopsy showed that Payne had “pink cocaine” — a recreational drug typically mixing methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA — along with cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack in his system.
Has Liam Payne’s Family Spoken Out?
Payne is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen, as well as sisters Ruth and Nicola.
“We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” his relatives told the BBC in an October 17, 2024, statement. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Both of Payne’s sisters later shared touching tributes for their late brother.
“I don’t believe this is happening,” Ruth wrote via Instagram on October 19, 2024. “Many times have I poured my heart out publicly with pride about Liam but never much about life as his sister. Liam is my best friend, no one could ever make me laugh as much as him, doing his impressions always had me creasing and he loved seeing how much of a laugh he could get.”
A few days later, Nicola wrote her own sweet sentiments for Payne.
“When I saw the news pop up on my phone that you had left us I went cold, I wanted to so much for this to be untrue,” her lengthy Instagram statement read on October 21, 2024. “I have spent days hoping that it was a mistake and somebody has got it wrong. You were truly too good for this earth, you are an angel who just lived for making people smile and happy. You have always shown kindness to everyone you met and it shows with just how many people have confirmed what we always knew!”
Payne’s father traveled to Argentina following his son’s death. He visited the site of the makeshift memorial created by fans outside of Payne’s hotel. The Argentine Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Us that Geoff spoke to the case prosecutor and is willing “to investigate and to know what happened” to his son.
What Are the Next Steps Following Liam Payne’s Death?
According to legal expert Dr. Cristian Poletti, who is not involved in the case, Payne’s body should be released after toxicological reports are completed. The process typically takes from one to two weeks.
“Until those studies are done and everything that has to do with the autopsy of the body is confirmed, they will not release the body, they will not deliver the body to the family,” Poletti explained to Us.
Payne’s family will be able to relocate his remains to his native U.K. after it is released.
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