Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died

Buenos Aires police have confirmed British singer Liam Payne, former member of the group One Direction, died Wednesday aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina.

”Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo,” the police statement said, reported AFP.

In the days before his death Payne had been posting videos to his Snapchat of his time in Argentina, accompanied by girlfriend, influencer Kate Cassidy, revealing they’d been sleeping in, horseriding and sampling local cuisine. “We’re enjoying ourselves here,” he said. Cassidy returned to Florida two days ago with the couple’s dog Nala, posting about the journey on social media, while Payne remained in Argentina.

The couple have been romantically linked since 2022.

Tributes have begun rolling in for the late pop star.

Representatives for his ex-fiancée Maya Henry told The Daily Mail she was “obviously in shock”.

Payne had been in the midst of a struggle with ex-partner Maya Henry. This week Metro reported he was facing legal action from the model, 23, who had “issued a cease and desist letter” and claimed he had been “ceaselessly contacting her, using different iCloud accounts to continue to reach out”.

The couple broke up in 2022. The pair went public with their relationship in 2019, with Payne proposing in 2020, before they split for the first time in 2021, with Payne saying he had “not been very good at relationships”.

Payne shares a son with ex-partner Cheryl Cole, Bear Grey, born in 2017. The following year Cole confirmed their two-and-a-half year relationship had ended.

Investigations into Payne’s death are understood to be ongoing.

- More to come