Liam Payne, one of the founding members of the boy band One Direction, passed away on Wednesday, October 16th. The pop star was visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina, when he fell from the hotel’s third floor. Liam was just 31 years old when he passed away.
Rumors began to circulate shortly after his passing, mostly due to Liam’s past issues with drugs and alcohol. According to La Nación, police were called by Hotel Casa Sur staff in order to file a report. The report detailed an aggressive man, who was believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, made a statement regarding the situation:
“We were alerted about a person who was in an internal courtyard of Casa Sur Hotel. [First responders] arrived and confirmed the man’s death. We later learned that he was a singer in a musical group. Unfortunately, he had injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall, so we had to confirm his death. There was no possibility of resuscitation.”
Rise to Fame
Liam’s claim to fame was through the boy band One Direction. The group was actually formed by the infamous Simon Cowell on The X-Factor UK Season 7 in 2010. One Direction featured Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik.
From 2011 to 2015, the band would release five studio albums, all with immense success. Each album would go platinum in the United States, earning No. 1 or No. 2 stateside. The band was also recognized on the Top 10 list around the world.
In Great Britain, the band earned four No. 1 singles: “What Makes You Beautiful”, “Little Things,” “One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)”, and “Drag Me Down.” In addition to the No. 1 songs, they also had five others reach No. 2 during their rise to one of the top selling boy bands in music history.
While the group did not see the same success in the United States, they did have six Top 10 singles and an impressive seven million-sellers. The band did earn themselves a documentary in 2013: One Direction: This Is Us, which provided insight to life on the road for the band. The Sony Pictures film outlines their hometown beginnings, the appearance on X Factor, and performing worldwide and the infamous O2 Arena in London. The film saw immense success, grossing more than $68 million worldwide.
Liam’s Separation
While the band did see immense success, it did eventually split, which led to Liam’s quest for a solo artist. Just last year he was forced to postpone a South American solo tour due to a kidney infection.
Unfortunately for Liam, he has been making headliners recently due to his relationship with Maya Henry. Maya is his ex finacee, and is. a model and social media content creator. Maya took the details of their turbulent relationship public, even admitting she obtained a cease-and-desist order to prevent Liam from contacting her.
In addition to his relationship with Maya, he also had a son with Cheryl Cole in 2017.
