Liam Payne’s family have said they are “heartbroken” adding that he will “live in our hearts forever”.
The One Direction founding member died at a hotel in Argentina after falling from a third-floor balcony, according to officials.
In a statement released through Payne’s spokesperson, his family said: “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.”
According to Alberto Crescenti, the head of the state emergency medical system in an interview on Argentinian television, the 31-year-old fell into a courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday evening.
Mr Crescenti declined to answer further questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped from the balcony or fell by accident.
According to police in the capital, officers were initially responding to reports “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.
Argentinian media also reported that Payne was in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan.
In audio from a call made by hotel staff to the emergency services, which was revealed this morning, a staff member asked for assistance for a guest they said whose “life may be in danger”.
After checking the location of the hotel, the manager said: “We need [you] to send someone with urgency because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger because he is in a room with [a] balcony, and we are afraid he could do something that threatens [his] life.”
The person on the call also told the operator that the guest was “trashing the entire room” adding: “We need you to send someone, please”.
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Scenes outside the Casa Sur hotel where the body of former One Direction member Liam Payne (31) was found on October 16, 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo: Luis Robayo/Getty Images
Fans were photographed lighting candles and leaving flowers at the side of the road in an impromptu vigil as they paid tribute to the music star.
Born in Wolverhampton, Payne rocketed to fame after he was placed in boyband One Direction during the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010, two years after his first audition.
The band went on to became one of the highest selling musical acts of the 21st century, with millions of albums sold worldwide.
One Direction separated in 2016, with Payne going onto a solo career. In 2016 he began dating pop star Cheryl, with whom he shares a son born in 2017. The pair split in 2018.
Payne went on to release an album titled LP1 in 2019.
Liam Payne (centre) during a performance with One Direction
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Tribute from his X Factor connections
Bandmate Harry Styles’ mother Anne Twist posted a broken-hearted emoji on Instagram, captioning it: “Just a boy.”
Dermot O’Leary, who hosted The X Factor during both of Payne’s appearances, shared a photograph of the pair on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “The worst news”.
“I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing,” he wrote.
“He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”
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X Factor host Dermot O’Leary leads Liam Payne tributes: ‘He just loved to sing’
Singer Olly Murs, who starred on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said he was “lost for words”, describing Payne’s death as “devastating” on Instagram.
“We always had a good laugh when we saw each other, sometimes the catch ups were only short and sweet but when we did it was mostly about how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF (X Factor) days and the tour we shared together,” Murs wrote beside a picture of the pair.
“Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams so to see his life now end so young hits hard, I’m truly gutted and devastated for his family and of course his son Bear losing a dad.”
Irish X Factor star Mary Byrne was among the people paying tribute to the pop star, and said she is “devastated” after his death.
An emotional Byrne, who took part in the same series, said she had a close bond with the group.
“They got very close to me, and I got close to them – they were like sons,” she told Sky News.
“Liam, in particular, was in my eyes the wise one of them all because he used to try and keep the group together and, to me, he had the stronger head on his shoulders.”
She added: “He seemed to have it all together – they all did. I’m devastated.”
Former X-Factor contestants and Irish duo Jedward also shared a tribute to the singer on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “RIP Liam Payne. Condolences to friends and family.”
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Tributes from other celebs
Former Love Island host Laura Whitmore also paid tribute to Payne who she said was “flung into a mad industry” at a young age.
In a post on her Instagram story, the Irish TV presenter said: “Shocking. Every time I’ve ever met Liam he was always so lovely. Talented from a very young age but flung into a mad industry.
“Thoughts with his family and loved ones.”
A number of industry bodies joined those paying tribute, including streaming giant Spotify, MTV and the Brit Awards who all said in separate statements that they are “deeply saddened” by Payne’s death.