The 31-year-old musician died after into the internal courtyard of the CasaSur hotel, located in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in “extremely serious injuries.” According to local authorities, medics confirmed his death on the spot.
Argentine media reported that Payne was of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan.
a video clip to social media platform that showed him sitting at a dining table with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
Bearing the caption “Lovely day in Argentina,” the footage showed Payne playfully chastising Cassidy for placing her hat on the table, before turning the camera around to showcase the rolling green view behind him.
Liam Payne shares a video on Snapchat hours before his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday. The clip showed him enjoying a late breakfast with his girlfriend and it appears that the star recorded… More Liam Payne/Snapchat
“It’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” he told viewers before turning the camera back to what he described as “the breakfast table.”
“I’m just eating an orange,” Cassidy said from her seat at the other end of the table.
“Just enjoying coffee and breakfast, even though it’s like 1 p.m.,” Payne added.
Speaking off-camera, Cassidy chimed in: “Literally, we sleep in every day until at least 12. We’re such losers.”
After briefly pondering his partner’s statement, Payne said “no” with a serious expression before cracking a smile to the camera.
Other uploads he shared on Snapchat hours before he died included a mirror selfie showing him shirtless alongside Cassidy in a bikini.
While the posts were shared on Wednesday, it appears that they were filmed days beforehand, as has reported that Cassidy left Argentina on October 14 and that Payne checked in to the CasaSur Palermo Hotel solo. The website also reported that the pair had arrived in the country on September 30.
Authorities were first alerted at 5:04 p.m. by a 911 call from the hotel’s manager, who reported that a man was behaving aggressively and may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Personnel from the 14B Police Station went to the hotel, along with a team from the Emergency Medical Attention System (SAME), who found Payne’s body in the courtyard.
SAME paramedics confirmed Payne’s death shortly after their arrival at 5:11 p.m. The head of SAME, Alberto Crescenti, later provided details in a television interview, saying that Payne had fallen from a height of approximately 13 or 14 meters (around 43 to 46 feet).
“We were alerted via 911 about a person in the internal courtyard of the CasaSur hotel,” Crescenti said. “By the time our team arrived, the man had already passed. Unfortunately, his injuries were fatal, and there was no possibility of resuscitation.”
A prosecutor and local authorities are investigating the cause of the singer’s death with assistance from the city police.
Pablo Policicchio, a spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, told the Associated Press in a statement that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”
Policicchio also said that police were sent to the hotel to respond to a call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
Payne rose to fame as part of the globally successful boy band One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. The group was formed on the British talent show The X Factor in 2010.
After the chart-topping band went on hiatus in 2016, Payne pursued a solo career, with songs such as “Strip That Down” and “Bedroom Floor,” and releasing work earlier this year.
Payne had a seven-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, from his previous relationship with singer Cheryl, who was known as Cheryl Cole while in the band Girls Aloud. Payne is also survived by his parents and two older sisters.