One Direction Star Liam Payne Passes Away at Age 31
The British pop star was vacationing in Buenos Aires, Argentina when he fell down the balcony of his hotel room on the third floor.
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Liam Payne, the former member of the popular British pop band One Direction, passed away at just age 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina this week. The pop star was vacationing in the Argentinian capital when he fell off the balcony of his hotel room on the third floor. He was declared dead on the scene.
It was originally reported that he had “jumped off of the balcony,” suggesting a case of suicide. However, later forensic experts shared that based on the position of the body and the nature of his injuries, he was either unconscious or semi-conscious when the fall happened, so intentionality was ruled out. As the experts explained, normal reflexive responses were not triggered in Payne that would have been triggered in any conscious human when he fell.
Drug paraphernalia and alcohol were found in his hotel room by investigators, which further corroborates the theory that Payne was in an altered state of mind when the tragedy happened.
Zayn Malik, the former bandmate of Payne with One Direction, announced that he is postponing his tour out of respect for his deceased friend. Meanwhile, Harry Styles, another former 1D member with a successful solo career, has released this statement:
“I am truly devastated by Liam's passing. His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honor to be alongside him as he did it. Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving”.
Payne entered the British version of the reality-talent show "The X Factor" in 2010, at age 17. There, he was grouped by judge Simon Cowell with 4 other contestants, the aforementioned Malik and Styles, as well as Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, to form the new boyband One Direction. They ended up finishing 3rd in the competition. Then, the band went on to achieve massive international success until its dismantlement in 2016. Their biggest hits are “What Makes You Beautiful” (2011), “Story of My Life” (2013), and “Drag Me Down” (2015).
