Liam Payne, former member of one of the best-selling boy bands of all-time, One Direction, has died at the age of 31. The English singer reportedly died after falling from his third-story hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The circumstances of the incident are still under investigation, including whether it was accidental or intentional, but TMZ reports that Payne had been acting erratically in the hotel prior to his death. He joined One Direction when they formed in 2010, after appearing on the British reality music competition X Factor. Payne was joined in 1D by fellow band members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson.

The group split in 2016 and Payne released his debut solo single “Strip That Down,” in 2017, which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That track was included on his lone solo album, LP1, which was released in 2019. In March, Payne released his latest single, “Teardrops,” which he described on Instagram as being “born from many tears, not all mine. I hope you love it like I do and not too many of you can relate.” Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole. (Variety)