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Privacy Notice Fans have lined the streets outside a Buenos Aires hotel where Liam Payne fell to his death from a third-floor balcony. Pictures showed hundreds of shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving. 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. Liam’s death comes after it was widely reported that his ex-fiancee, Maya Henry, had started legal proceedings, allegedly issuing a cease and desist letter for repeated contact. The US model, who was engaged to Liam from August 2020 until he announced their separation in June 2021, claimed in a recent TikTok video that, since their break-up, the singer would “blow up my phone” from different numbers.
Liam’s fans lit candles in his memory
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Fans lined the streets outside the hotel where he died
In the hours before his death, Liam reportedly posted a video on Snapchat saying: “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina.” Liam formed boy band One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor. After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016. Among those paying tribute to Liam was former X Factor host Dermot O’Leary, who wrote on Instagram: “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 was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”
Fans have paid tribute to Liam Payne following his tragic death
Olly Murs, who appeared on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said in a post on Instagram that he was “lost for words”, adding that the pair shared “the same passions”. The Wanted star Max George said Liam had “supported me a lot” after the death of his bandmate Tom Parker from a brain tumour in March 2022.
One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016
(Image: PA)
Liam previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, describing hitting “rock bottom” to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett. He admitted his addiction to alcohol continued during the Covid pandemic, but in 2023 he posted a YouTube video confirming he was almost six months sober after nearly 100 days in a US rehab facility. Earlier this month, Liam attended bandmate Niall’s Argentinian concert alongside his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid, Familiar and Strip That Down featuring Quavo. The song was one of two tracks that reached the top 10 in the UK official charts, alongside For You with Rita Ora from the film Fifty Shades Freed – which the duo performed at the Brit Awards in 2018. Liam was in a high-profile relationship with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl between 2016 and 2018 and the couple had a son, Bear, in 2017. Liam first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Simon Cowell telling him to return to the ITV talent show two years later.
Liam first auditioned for X Factor when he was 14 years old but was initially unsuccessful
(Image: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)
In 2010, he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction. In August 2023, Liam postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering a “serious kidney infection”. He said the infection was something “I wouldn’t wish on anyone” and he had been instructed by doctors to “rest and recover”. In October that year, he was banned from driving in the UK after admitting a speeding offence. The singer was reportedly travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone and was banned from driving for six months, as well as paying a fine. In August this year, Liam was announced as a judge on a new Netflix show alongside former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger. The stars were to judge attempts to create a band, looking at the contestants’ chemistry as they formed groupings in the musical competition series.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnLiam PayneOne Direction
