PA Media/dpa
Buenos Aires
Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Local police said the 31-year-old singer fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, before medics confirmed his death.
According to police in Buenos Aires, officers were initially responding to reports "of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.
Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving.
Fans were photographed lighting candles and leaving flowers at the side of the road in an impromptu vigil as they paid tribute to the music star.
The Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina "regarding reports of the death of a British man”.
But a spokesman declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.
Payne’s death comes after it was widely reported that his ex-fiancee, Maya Henry, had started legal proceedings, allegedly issuing a cease and desist letter for repeated contact.
The US model, who was engaged to Payne from August 2020 until he announced their separation in June 2021, claimed in a recent TikTok video that, since their break-up, the singer would "blow up my phone” from different numbers.
In the hours before his death, Payne reportedly posted a video on Snapchat saying: "It’s a lovely day here in Argentina.” Payne formed boy band One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor.
After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Among those paying tribute to Payne was former X Factor host Dermot O’Leary, who wrote on Instagram: "I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing.
"He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.” Olly Murs, who appeared on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said in a post on Instagram that he was "lost for words”, adding that the pair shared "the same passions”.