Liam Payne, the English singer who rose to fame as a member of boy band One Direction, has died. Payne was found dead in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after falling from the third floor of a hotel in the Argentine capital. He was 31.
UPDATE (10/17, 4:33 p.m. ET): A statement from the Buenos Aires police to the Associated Press said that Payne "had jumped from the balcony of his room." The publication also obtained a recording of the 911 call, where the hotel manager can be heard saying there was "a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol ... He's destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please."
A preliminary autopsy revealed that the singer suffered 25 injuries congruent with falling off the balcony, as well as internal and external bleeding. The report likewise noted lacking indication of defensive wounds on his hands, with the position of his body having suggested that he could have been partially or fully unconscious at the time of the fall.
UPDATE (10/17, 11:51 a.m. ET): Payne's family have issued a statement to BBC about his death, writing, "We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."
Local news outlets La Nacion and Clarin reported that police were responding to an emergency call that cited "an aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol" at the hotel [via Reuters].
Payne first appeared on British music competition show The X Factor in 2008, and would later return to the show in 2010 as a member of the newly formed One Direction.
The group — which saw Payne lined up alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson — would become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. One Direction would go on indefinite hiatus in 2016, with its members pursuing solo careers.
Payne would share his debut solo album LP1 in 2019, and had revealed last year he was at work on a sophomore effort. The album's lead single "Teardrops" was released in March.