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Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, was found dead outside a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday night.
Authorities are now investigating his death with an autopsy due to be carried out.
His friends and millions of fans are already paying tribute to the 31-year-old, who police say fell from a third-floor hotel balcony. He is survived by his parents, his two older sisters, and his seven-year-old son, Bear.
Payne’s family said in a statement issued by his spokeswoman: “We are heartbroken. 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.”
Here’s everything we know so far about Payne’s death and the circumstances leading up to it:
Where was Liam Payne when he died?
Payne was found dead in a hotel courtyard on Wednesday night. The hotel is located on Costa Rica Street in Buenos Aires’s Palermo neighborhood, local authorities said.
Earlier this month, Payne reportedly shared a Snapchat post saying he was travelling to Argentina in part to see his former bandmate Niall Horan play in the country.
“It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to talk about and I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or nothing like that but we just need to talk.”
Payne did see Horan’s show earlier this month, but stayed in Argentina for two more weeks with his girlfriend, the 25-year-old influencer Kate Cassidy. She reportedly left the holiday and returned to the US two days before Payne’s death while the singer stayed on.
How did Liam Payne die?
Local police said the singer fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital.
Emergency medical services director Alberto Crescenti told local media that Payne suffered “serious injuries” as a result of the fall.
Authorities will now perform an autopsy and investigate the cause of Payne’s death.
Before Payne was found dead, the desk manager at the hotel made a 911 call to the emergency services saying that a guest drunk “on drugs and alcohol” was “breaking everything in the room”.
During the call, which has been translated into English, the manager asks for urgent medical and police support because they “don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger.”
“He’s in a room with a balcony and we’re afraid that he could do something that threatens his life,” the manager told the emergency services.
The manager told the call operator that the guest had been staying at the hotel for the past three days.
“He’s under the influence of alcohol and drugs and medical emergency service personnel can’t enter alone,” the manager said, requesting police presence.
Is foul play suspected?
It’s unclear. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, has only said that authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death. His body has been sent for an autopsy to help investigators determine what led up to his death and if there were any contributing factors.
Why was Liam Payne in a legal battle with his ex-girlfriend?
Liam Payne and his ex-girlfriend, Maya Henry, were in a legal battle when he died on Wednesday night. The couple had called things off in 2022.
Henry, 23, had issued a cease and desist notice to Payne earlier this week, accusing him of repeatedly contacting her and her loved ones, The Daily Mail reported.
“‘Maya Henry issued a cease and desist last week to Liam Payne following the emergence of new and concerning information,” her lawyers told the Mail. “She has retained attorneys Marco Crawford and Daniel Cerna to represent her. At this time, that is her only comment on the matter.”
Henry spoke out about her concerns in a TikTok video earlier this month.
“Ever since we broke up he messages me, will blow up my phone, not only from his phone, it’s always from different phone numbers too, so I never know where it’s gonna come from,” Henry said in the video.
The 23-year-old also published the novel Looking Forward in May, which she said was “inspired by true events.” The book contains a content warning for abortion, abuse, violence, self-harm, substance abuse and eating disorders, People reports.
Have former members of One Direction spoken out about Liam Payne’s death?
So far, no former members of the band have publicly spoken out.
However, Styles’s mom Anne Twist posted a broken heart emoji on Instagram soon after his death was announced.
“Just a boy,” Twist wrote.
The official X/Twitter account for X Factor, the talent competition upon which Payne rose to fame, posted: “We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne. He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him.”
