Liam Payne, the British singer who found global fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, passed away at 31. He was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina last week, prompting a sea of emotional tributes from all around the world, including one by his former bandmates.
The news of Payne’s passing made the headlines after he fell from a third-floor balcony on October 16 at a hotel in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. His death was confirmed immediately by the emergency medical team, and fans later gathered in front of the hotel to build a memorial in his honor.
Tributes poured in from many of Payne’s peers and past collaborators, including the former members of One Direction – Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. They all shared individual statements, in addition to a joint press release, which read, “We will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”
Payne was a part of One Direction between 2010 and 2016, and they became a true global phenomenon and one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. After parting ways, Payne started working on his solo music and released his first album LP1 in 2019.