Pop icon Liam Payne has died.
The star fell from a third floor balcony while staying in a hotel in the Palerno area of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to this, hotel management had phoned police, warning them that they felt Liam Payne was behaving erratically, and could be a danger to himself. Police found Liam Payne dead on arrival; he was 31 years old.
Hailing from the West Midlands, he was musical from a young age, with his first massive public performance coming at a Wolverhampton Wanderers home game while only 12 years old.
Liam Payne first entered The X factor at the age of 14, impressing judges before losing out to older, more experiences candidates. Told to return in two years, he did – and the rest is history.
Swept up into One Direction, the boy band became a global phenomenon, arguably the biggest UK export since the Spice Girls. Debut single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ was a global smash, propelling them to a colossal, record-breaking tour.
A creative force within the group, Liam Payne co-wrote more than 50% of the material on One Direction’s third and fourth albums, emerging as a distinctive musical voice.
Debut solo single ‘Strip That Down’ came in 2017, however his much-delayed debut album received poor reviews on its 2019 release.
Struggling publicly with substance issues, Liam Payne had openly discussed his alcoholism, in addition to his mental health.
Liam Payne is survived by his son.
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