Liam Payne, a singer and songwriter who rose to fame with One Direction, has died at age 31. His passing was confirmed by local officials in Buenos Ares, Argentina, who stated that he had fallen from his hotel balcony.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, in 1993, Payne’s singing career technically began at just 14. He first auditioned for The X Factor that year, but was advised to come back in just a few years. At 16 he returned with a standout audition, belting Michael Bublé’s rendition of “Cry Me a River.” He failed to advance to the show’s final lineup as a soloist, but Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson to create the boyband that would be One Direction.
Though they did not win the show, One Direction would go on to become one of the most successful acts of the 2010s, and one of the most successful boybands of all time. Their whirlwind career produced five albums in five years before the group went on a permanent hiatus to pursue solo projects. The speed at which the group came and went has made it difficult to quantify their cultural impact, but the impact they made on the lives of their massive fanbase is undeniable, as seen in the recent outpouring of grief.
In later One Direction albums, Payne became a prominent songwriter, often partnering with Tomlinson to write tunes like “Right Now,” “Fireproof,” and “What A Feeling.”
His solo career took a different direction musically, favoring EDM and dance pop. His debut single, “Strip That Down,” reached number 10 in the U.S. and number three in the U.K. He subsequently released collabs with Zedd (“Get Low”) and Rita Ora (“For You”) before releasing his only solo album, LP1, in 2019.
Payne’s family released a statement on Thursday, asking for privacy. “We are heartbroken,” the family said. “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul.”
He is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
