Liam Payne: what we know about the death of the ex-One Direction singer

One Direction star Liam Payne has died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

The pop star, who rose to fame on The X Factor in 2010, died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, police said.

Liam was one of five members of One Direction, along with Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles.

Former bandmate Harry’s mother, Anne Twist, paid tribute to him by posting a broken heart emoji on Instagram, captioning it: “Just a boy.”

Here’s what we know so far about the events leading up to Mr Payne’s death.

• Warning: Some readers may find this article offensive

Local police say a 911 call alerted them to the presence of an “aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol” at the Casa Sur hotel where Payne was staying in Buenos Aires.

Argentine media report that the emergency call was made by the hotel manager, who reported a guest “under the influence of drugs and destroying the room”, according to the AFP news agency.

The manager allegedly told the operator that the customer “has a balcony and we are concerned that he might do something that would endanger his life.”

Shortly after police arrived at the scene, a loud noise was heard in the hotel’s inner courtyard, where officers later found Mr Payne’s body.

Following his death at around 5pm (9pm BST) on Wednesday, stars expressed their sadness and posted memories of the father who shared a son, Bear, with his former partner, Girls Aloud star Cheryl.

Singer Olly Murs, who starred on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said he was “speechless”, describing Payne’s death as “devastating” on Instagram.

Olly said they “always have a good laugh” when they meet, mostly talking about “how annoyingly beautiful his hair is, or how much we love Becks, from his XF days [X Factor] and the tour we shared together”.

“Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams, so to see his life end so young hurts me. I am truly devastated and devastated for his family and of course for his son Bear who lost his father.”

Dermot O’Leary, who presented The X Factor when Liam was there, posted a photo of the couple on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “Worst news.”

“I remember him at 14, going to an audition for The X Factor and blowing us away by singing Sinatra. He loved singing,” he wrote.

“He was always a joy, had time for everyone, was polite, grateful and always humble.”

American singer Charlie Puth, co-writer of Payne’s 2017 song Bedroom Floor, said he was “in shock” after Payne’s death.

Charlie posted images of the pair working together, alongside the caption “Liam has always been so good to me.

Wanted star Max George has described his death as “absolutely devastating news”.

“Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of knowing him personally and spending precious time with him,” he said on Instagram.

“Liam was absolutely wonderful in terms of support when Tom [Parker] fell ill, performing at the Royal Albert Hall with us for Stand Up To Cancer”.

“He was very supportive personally after Tom passed away. I will never forget that.”

“He was one of the first great artists I had the opportunity to work with. I can’t believe he’s gone…I’m so upset right now that he’s going to rest in peace.”

The Brit Awards said they were “incredibly sad” to learn of his passing, adding that their “thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this time”.

On X, Rylan Clark, who was also an X Factor contestant, said the death was “so tragic”, while Jedward sent his condolences to Cheryl, her son Bear and “the whole One Direction family”.

Oasis’ Liam Gallagher wrote on X: “Life is precious, kids, and you can only do it once, take it easy.”

DJ and music producer Zedd, who featured alongside Payne on the 2017 song Get Low, called the singer’s death “absolutely heartbreaking”.

The band Backstreet Boys said: “Words cannot express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now, and it seems the rest of the world is in the same boat.”

Socialite Paris Hilton also paid tribute on X, calling the singer’s death “very upsetting.”

American singer and rapper Ty Dolla Sign said he would “miss” Payne, captioning videos and photos on his Instagram Story: “Talked to you two days ago dude.”