17 October 2024, 08:53 | Updated: 17 October 2024, 09:08
Liam Payne – the former One Direction singer – has died at the age of 31 after falling from a balcony in Argentina.
Police were called to a hotel in the capital Buenos Aires yesterday evening.
His boy band was put together as part of The X-Factor in 2010.
The five – Liam, Louis, Harry, Niall and Zayn – became one of the best selling groups of all time.
Liam James Payne was born in Wolverhampton in 1993 to Karen and Geoff Payne, a nurse and a fitter.
He has two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
He rose to fame after auditioning for the fifth season of television series The X Factor in 2008 at the age of 14.
After being eliminated in the competition, he was told by judge Simon Cowell “come back in two years”.
He then auditioned again two years later in 2010.
He sang Michael Bublé’s version of ‘Cry Me a River’ which got him four yeses and a standing ovation from Cowell.
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He was then put into a group with four other boys – Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson – after a suggestion from guest judge Nicole Sherzinger.
In footage of the moment the band was formed, Scherzinger pointed out Payne “actually may be the leader”.
They were led under the guidance of Cowell and quickly gained thousands of fans.
They came third in the competition after Alexandra Burke.
The group released five studio albums and won seven Brit Awards, including for their 2012 debut hit What Makes You Beautiful, to the track History from their last album in 2015, released months after Malik left the group.
The embarked on multiple world tours and sold millions of albums to their legion of loyal fans.
One of the reasons the group attracted so many fans was the group dynamic of One Direction.
Their playful banter, sense of humor, and genuine friendship shone through in interviews, concerts, and music videos.
They seemed like a group of friends having fun together, which made fans feel like they were part of that friendship.
In 2015, it was announced Zayn was leaving the band and they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne was tasked with taking over the bulk of Malik’s vocals after he departed the group.
In 2016, he started dating singer and former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole.
They had one son, named Bear, who was born in March 2017.
Payne later announced his solo career and in 2017 released his debut solo single “Strip That Down”, featuring Quavo and co-written with Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac.
Payne began dating model Maya Henry in 2019, they became engaged in August 2020.
By June 2021, they had ended their relationship – and then resumed their engagement the same year.
In May 2022, the couple ended their engagement for the second time.
Since October 2022, he had been in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy.
He was out in Argentina with his Cassidy to watch his former One Direction band mate Niall Horan perform.
Fans have been gathering with candles outside the hotel where it happened.
The Foreign Office has confirmed it is contact with local authorities in Argentina “regarding reports of the death of a British man”.
A spokesperson for the FCDO declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.
