By: Jane Wilde

Culture Editor

On Oct. 16, former One Direction member and solo pop artist Liam Payne tragically passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The singer reportedly fell from the third story of a hotel. According to the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires, Payne “jumped from the balcony of his room.” However, it was soon after his death discovered that he was only semi-conscious when he fell from the third story of the hotel. A Buenos Aires news station confirmed, “It’s not that he jumped deliberately. Although Payne suffered several serious injuries, the autopsy declared the singer died of polytrauma and internal and external bleeding.”

Just minutes prior to Payne’s death, the police were directed to the hotel by a 911 call reporting an aggressive man under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The hotel desk manager who made the call said that a guest seemed as if he had consumed excessive amounts of drugs and alcohol and was “breaking everything in the room.” The manager immediately requested help because he knew Payne’s room included a balcony and was “afraid he could do something that puts his life at risk.” Several parts of his room were damaged, including a shattered TV, which led investigators to believe that he was suffering from an overdose moments before his death. In a later autopsy, they found many substances in his body including traces of a party drug called pink cocaine.

The 31 year-old rose to fame as a beloved member of One Direction, a boy band formed in 2010 by record producer Simon Cowell on X-Factor. Payne auditioned two years prior to the making of One Direction, but Cowell rejected Payne twice after making it to the final round. However, he didn’t stop there; he came back on two years later and earned a yes from Cowell. Payne sang alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson. With a fan base consisting of hundreds of millions, they were deemed one of the most influential boy bands of all time.

Millions of fans are mourning around the world, many of which gathered around the hotel in Buenos Aires and sang his songs as they held a memorial. However, the fans aren’t the only ones mourning this tragedy. Former One Direction members went to Instagram to make their public statements regarding the death of Payne, collectively stating “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing…we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.” Their prayers go out to his friends, fans, and family, including his 7-year-old son Bear. 

(Sources: AP News, CNN, New York Times)