One Direction ‘completely devastated’ by death of Liam Payne as autopsy reveals head injuries

Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates have said they are “completely devastated” by the news of his death at the age of 31. 
The singer was pronounced dead at the scene after falling from the balcony of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday. 
In a statement signed “Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry”, Payne’s One Direction bandmates said: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
Harry Styles said in a post on Instagram that the years he spent with Payne “will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life”.
On Thursday night the Daily Mail reported that the star had been dropped by his record label days before his death. 
It comes as police in Buenos Aires said Payne’s hotel room was found in a state of “total disorder”.
Payne fell from the third floor of the hotel, suffering a fracture at the base of his skull and other injuries.
Argentine authorities said they had come across narcotics, alcohol and medicines such as Clonazepam in Payne’s room, while whiskey, a lighter and a mobile phone were found by his body. 
The desk manager at the hotel where Payne was staying phoned 911 at around 5pm requiring assistance with “a guest who is high on drugs and alcohol… smashing up his entire room”. 
In an audio recording, the staff member at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel says: “You need to send someone with urgency because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. He’s in a room with a balcony and we were afraid he could do something that threatens his life.”
Images circulated online showed a wrecked hotel room with a smashed LED television and a desk topped with white powder, aluminium foil and candles, which was verified by Argentina’s newspaper La Nacion as Payne’s room. 
A guest staying in the hotel, Doug Jones, told the BBC that he had heard “a lot of noise, like heavy lifting, banging, a lot of loud, violent noises” coming from Payne’s room. 
In a statement to The Associated Press, police claimed Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room”, although the Argentine prosecutors’ office said he could have fallen while semi-conscious or unconscious.
Authorities in Buenos Aires said that Payne suffered a fracture at the base of his skull and other serious injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. “He had injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall. There was no way to do anything,” said Albert Crescenti, head of the city’s emergency medical services.
Prosecutors have interviewed witnesses to reconstruct the singer’s last hours and are reported to be seeking information from two women who spent time with him the night before his death, but said everything indicates that he was alone at the time of the fall, with no third party involvement.
Payne is believed to have been on holiday in Argentina with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, an online influencer who he had been dating since 2022. 
On October 2, he attended a concert by one of his former bandmates Niall Horan at Buenos Aires’s Movistar Arena.
Fans had expressed concern about his “erratic” behaviour at the concert, where he was filmed dancing and interacting with fans.
Cassidy returned home to Miami on Tuesday, and Payne moved from the private house in which they had been staying to the CasaSur. In the hours before his death, he posted a Snapchat video taken days earlier, in which he chatted about riding polo ponies and said he was looking forward to heading home to see his dog.
Payne had spoken in the past about struggling with his mental health and the effects of fame, saying in a 2019 interview: “I’m quite lucky to be here still.”
He first auditioned for The X Factor at 14 and returned two years later, at which point Simon Cowell put him and three others – Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan – together as One Direction.
They achieved huge fame before splitting in 2016, and Payne embarked upon a solo career. But he recently split from his manager, who was said to have been a “steadying hand”.
He was also said to be upset at the threat of legal action from a former girlfriend, Texan model Maya Henry. She posted a lengthy TikTok video last week, accusing him of “disgusting” behaviour and of harassing her and her mother with phone calls and messages.
She warned that “there’s a lot more of this story so… stay tuned.” It was then reported that she had instructed lawyers to issue a cease and desist notice against Payne.
A source told People magazine that Payne was “extremely overwhelmed” by difficulties including the legal troubles.
The star has a seven-year-old son, Bear, from his past relationship with the Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole.
Payne’s family said in a statement: “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.”
Harry Styles, his bandmate, shared a tribute on Instagram.
“I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing,” Styles said.
“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving.
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life.
“I will miss him always, my lovely friend. My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”
A post shared by @harrystyles
One Direction member Zayn Malik said he “never got to thank” Liam Payne for supporting him through some of the “most difficult” times in his life.
Sharing a photo of the two together (below), Malik wrote in an Instagram post: “Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you to you hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there were so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.”
A post shared by Zayn Malik (@zayn)
Harry Styles’s mother, Anne Twist, led the online tributes to the singer by posting a broken-hearted emoji on Instagram, alongside the caption: “Just a boy.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister’s sincere condolences are with Liam’s family and friends at this time.
“One Direction were one of the biggest bands in history and their music had a huge impact on many millions of fans around the world.”
Simon Cowell is set to miss filming for ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent even when production resumes again on Saturday, according to The Sun. 
Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli will step in to replace the “utterly shocked and devastated” music mogul on the show for an unspecified amount of time.
Rita Ora, who collaborated with Liam Payne on the song “For You”, said: “He had the kindest soul, I will never forget. I loved working with him so much – he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage.”
She added: “Our song For You takes on a whole new meaning for me now.”
Rebecca Ferguson, Payne’s former X Factor co-star, said she had attempted to contact him a week before his death because she had been “worried about him for a while”.
“I’m upset with the people that profit from him, why were you allowing this person to spiral,” Ferguson said on a live X Space with One Direction fans.
“I could see it, I tried to reach out last week.
“I just can’t get my head around why no one intervened, why no one was stepping in, why he had no security with him, where was the security person?”
Representatives for Payne have been contacted for comment.
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Simon Cowell is set to miss filming for ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent even when production resumes again on Saturday, it is reported. 
Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli will step in to replace the music mogul on the show for an unspecified amount of time following Liam Payne’s death.
A source told The Sun: “This news has hit Simon incredibly hard – he is utterly shocked and devastated.
“He adored Liam, and was close to his family with whom he is sure to reach out privately. He didn’t feel it was right to continue with filming BGT, and when it resumes on Saturday, does not feel he’ll be in the right head space to continue.
“All the judges and production crew are being hugely supportive.”
The Argentine prosecutors’ office has said initial searches found suspected narcotics, alcohol, destroyed objects and furniture in Liam Payne’s hotel room. 
Prosecutors said Payne’s death was being investigated, though everything indicates he was alone at the time of the fall.
No injuries observed suggest the involvement of a third party, while autopsy results revealed multiple traumas involving internal and external bleeding consistent with a fall from height. 
The prosecutors added that Payne could have fallen while semi-conscious or completely unconscious. 
Prosecutors have interviewed five witnesses to reconstruct Payne’s last hours and are looking into the possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to Payne’s death. 
A guest staying in the same hotel as Liam Payne has recalled hearing “violent noises”. 
Doug Jones told the BBC: “I thought they were working on the room. There was a lot of noise, like heavy lifting, like banging, a lot of loud, violent noises, I thought.
“And I saw hotel people going in and out of that room, so I thought they were doing work on the room.
“So about 16:00, 16:30, I started hearing some more noise, I was still doing work, and I heard a really loud, violent scream around 16:45, 17:00.”
He realised something was wrong when he came down and “the whole road was full of cops”.
Rita Ora, who collaborated with Liam Payne on the song “For You” for the Fifty Shades Freed film soundtrack, said she was “devastated” by the news. 
In an Instagram post, which featured photos of them recording in the studio together, Ora said: “He had the kindest soul, I will never forget. I loved working with him so much – he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage. 
“This tragic news breaks my heart. Sending all my love and prayers to his family and loved ones.
“Our song For You takes on a whole new meaning for me now. R.I.P.”
Singing their song in Japan last night, Ora projected an image of Payne onto the stage. 
Visibly overcome with emotion, Ora sat down on stage and said: “I can’t even sing this right now”. 
Soccer Aid has thanked Payne for everything he did to “help support children around the world” after the singer captained the England team for the charity football match in 2022 and returned in 2023 to play on the team.
Actor and musician Damian Lewis, who played on the England squad with Payne for Soccer Aid, described him as a “warm, open, self-deprecating, chatty, lovely man”.
He said: “This is awful news skipper. Thoughts and love to your family.”
Liam Payne died during what was supposed to be a brief trip to Argentina to see Niall Horan, his former bandmate, perform in Buenos Aires.
The holiday was extended from five days to two weeks, according to Kate Cassidy, Payne’s girlfriend, who flew home on Monday.
Payne fell to his death from a third floor balcony in the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires after reports that he was behaving erratically and under the influence of drink and drugs.
Read the full story here.
Liam Payne has died, aged 31, and for a generation of girls who grew up with One Direction it feels like a part of their childhood has died too, writes The Telegraph’s culture assistant Poppie Platt.
I was one of those girls who loved the boy band in my early teens, after they did the unthinkable and transformed coming third on The X Factor into a level of global fame not seen since The Beatles.
Payne, in particular, was idolised where I came from, because he was one of us: I went to school a few miles away from him, in Wolverhampton, and shared mutual friends; when he was recruited into 1D by Simon Cowell, it felt like the whole of the Black Country was egging him on. 
Read the full story here.
Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue and European editorial director of Condé Nast, has paid tribute to Liam Payne.
In a post on Instagram he described Payne as a “true friend”, adding that he is heartbroken at “how short life can be”.
A post shared by Edward Enninful, OBE (@edward_enninful)
Cher Lloyd has paid tribute to Liam Payne following his death. 
The singer who participated in the 2010 series of The X Factor said her heart is breaking for his child, Bear.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “From being on the show together, visiting each others homes while filming, going on tour together and watching you achieve your dreams. 
“I’ll cherish the memories made and the laughs we had. My thoughts are with your family and friends, with everyone who loves you. My heart is breaking for your son Bear. Rest in peace Liam.”
Downing Street offered Sir Keir Starmer’s condolences to Liam Payne’s family and friends.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister’s sincere condolences are with Liam’s family and friends at this time.
“One Direction were one of the biggest bands in history and their music had a huge impact on many millions of fans around the world.”
The X Factor has paid tribute to Liam Payne following the former contestant’s death.
In a post on X, the show’s official account wrote: 
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. pic.twitter.com/wOXUTKPUiR
McFly and Busted stars have remembered Liam Payne as “such a nice human” and reflected on the pressures of being in the spotlight when in a boy band.
The McBusted supergroup previously supported One Direction on tour, the group which Payne rose to fame in alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.
Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, McFly’s Danny Jones said: “It’s super sad. Such a nice human and it was amazing to know the guys. And I feel for his family, I feel for the band, feel for the boys, and I’m shocked. I’m genuinely shocked.”
Busted’s Charlie Simpson, who started his musical career when he was aged 16, reflected on the pressures of being thrust into the limelight in a boy band.
“It is really tough. I think that especially today with social media and the pressure that comes with it now that wasn’t around when we started, I think that makes it even tougher”, he said.
Fellow Busted bandmate Matt Willis also remembered Payne as “such a lovely bloke”, adding: “Music is so powerful and I think what One Direction achieved was unbelievable, so incredible. They’ve got such an amazing history of music, it’s a beautiful thing music.”
This Morning ended its broadcast with a tribute to the late singer.   
We’re shocked and extremely sad to wake up to the news of Liam Payne’s death. Our thoughts and love are with his family and friends at such a difficult time ❤️
Liam Payne was staying at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina when he fell to his death.
He had been a guest at the hotel for between two and three days before he fell from the third floor balcony of his room.
The accommodation boasts 61 “elegantly decorated” rooms with minimalist furnishings and wooden floors, its website states.
The desk manager at the hotel where One Direction star Liam Payne was staying made a frantic call to emergency services minutes before he fell to his death. 
An audio recording revealed the member of staff at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel said he feared the guest’s life was in danger seven minutes before Payne fell from a third floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
In the recording he can be heard requesting assistance over concerns about an individual who was thought to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
He says: “I’m calling from CasaSur Palermo, we have a guest who is high on drugs and alcohol. When he’s conscious, he’s smashing up his entire room. So you need to send someone please.
“You need to send someone with urgency because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. He’s in a room with a balcony and we were afraid he could do something that threatens his life.”
Police were called to the hotel of the One Direction singer at 5.04pm local time (9.04pm UK). Payne was later pronounced dead at 5.11pm. 
Liam Payne’s family have said they are “utterly devastated” following the death of the singer aged 31. 
Speaking from the family home in Wolverhampton, one told MailOnline: “We are utterly devastated by the news.”
In a later statement issued by a family spokeswoman they added: “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.”
Payne’s older sisters, Nicola and Ruth, are understood to have arrived at the house in Codsall early this morning.
The musician was raised in Wolverhampton by his mother Karen, a nurse, and father Geoff, a fitter.
The school in Wolverhampton which One Direction singer Liam Payne once attended has paid tribute to its former student.
St Peter’s Collegiate Academy in Compton Park said Payne was “well-liked” by friends and teachers, and “made a positive impact” on the school community.
In a post on Facebook, the school wrote: “In our thoughts and prayers.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of our former student, Liam Payne. During his time at St Peter’s Collegiate Academy, Liam was not only well-liked by his peers and teachers but also recognised for his talents.
“He made a positive impact on our school community, and his contributions will be remembered.
“Our thoughts are with Liam’s family and friends during this difficult time. We extend our sincere condolences to all those affected by his passing.”
Britain’s Got Talent has announced it will be postponing auditions for the show following the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne.
A spokesman for the programme’s producer, Freemantle UK, said: “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.
“Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family and all who loved him.”
The producer did not say when the auditions will resume.
It comes after the ITV show’s latest round of auditions were held in Blackpool on Wednesday.
Liam Payne’s death was a “tragic end for someone so young”, according to Commons Leader Lucy Powell.
She told the Commons: “Can I also send condolences to the friends and family of Liam Payne. One Direction was loved by millions across the world and this was a tragic end for someone so young.”
Paying a personal tribute to Payne, Greg James said: “I want to celebrate Liam.
“I’ve only interviewed him a couple of times because they (One Direction) were always flying off around the world, we barely got to see them, but when we did it was always so fun.
“And he loved fun, he was funny, he was sweet”.
James said he could think of “no better song than this” before playing the One Direction hit single What Makes You Beautiful.
Police were called to the hotel at 5.04pm local time (9.04pm UK). Payne was later pronounced dead at 5.11pm. 
It is unclear if Payne fell or jumped to his death.
Payne is believed to have been on holiday in Argentina with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, an online influencer who he had been dating since October 2022. 
In the days before his death, he had attended a concert by one of his former bandmates Niall Horan at Buenos Aires’s Movistar Arena on October 2.
Liam Payne, who has died aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, found fame in 2010 with the boy band One Direction; he was also a fixture of the tabloid press thanks to his relationship with Cheryl Cole, the product of an earlier television reality show.
One Direction, a product of television’s The X Factor, was one of the great musical stories of the past two decades. As the biggest boy band of their era this hormone-popping quintet delivered a raft of supremely well-crafted hits that became the soundtrack of a generation with their lively humour, distinct character and a charm so fizzing that they became the public face of Pepsi.
If Harry Styles was the flamboyant ladies’ man, while Louis Tomlinson was fun and energetic, Niall Horan charming and laid back, and Zayn Malik brooding and mercurial, that left Payne to be the responsible one. “I’ve always been a bit of an older soul,” he told The Daily Telegraph in 2017. “When something was going wrong, I’d get a phone call. If there was an apology needed, it was me. I was the spokesperson for the band, as it were, with the press and the label.”
Read the full Telegraph Obituary here.
Father of one Liam Payne dated the former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole, who at 41 was ten years his senior, between 2016 and 2018 and the couple had a child together that they named Bear, now aged seven.
Tributes to Liam Payne flooded in overnight. Dermot O’Leary, who presented The X Factor, called it “the worst news”. He remembered Payne as a 14-year-old boy auditioning for the show.
It was one of many tributes to Payne, who was pronounced dead at 5.11pm (9.11pm UK) after his body was discovered on the patio within the grounds of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.
On X, formerly Twitter, Rylan Clark, who was also a X Factor contestant, said the death was “so tragic”. Dermot O’Leary, who presented the show, called the incident “the worst news”.
Fellow former X Factor contestants Jedward wrote: 
Sending strength to Cheryl and his son Bear ❤️ and all the One direction Family RIP @LiamPayne
Telegraph readers have also shared their condolences: 
On Wednesday Payne had posted a video on Snapchat about his trip to Argentina, talking about riding horses, playing polo, and looking forward to returning home to see his dog. “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” he said in the video.
One Direction – often shortened to 1D – was propelled to success on the television show The X Factor in 2010 and went on to have a string of huge hits worldwide and five chart-topping albums before splitting up in 2016.
Bridget Phillipson has described the death of Liam Payne as “very sad news”.
The Education Secretary told Sky News on Thursday morning: “It’s very sad news, it’s no age for someone to lose their life, and my thoughts are with his friends and family, this must be a total shock for them and very, very upsetting.”
She said of his friends and family that “my thoughts are with them at what must be a really difficult time”.
Konnie Huq has said during Liam Payne’s time on The X Factor with One Direction the make-up room’s walls were “covered in their fan mail” and very early on it was “sort of obvious they were destined to be massive”.
The former The Xtra Factor presenter of told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’ve got this photo of them sort of sat in the make-up room, and literally the walls are covered in their fan mail, because we’d often stick up things, and it looked like already they were sort of, you know… my sort of equivalent growing up would have probably been Take That, or I could even go earlier than that.
“But … it looked like they had already made it. And this was before… I think it was maybe even possibly before we’d even gone to judges’ houses – it was really very early on. They were getting a huge amount of fan mail.
“And that is just a weird thing for when you’re not even sort of properly famous yet, to get that amount, you know, very early on. It was sort of obvious that they were destined to be massive.”
One Direction fans gathered outside the hotel to pay tribute after police cordoned off the area, with many leaving flowers and lighting candles.
The mother of Harry Styles has led tributes to Liam Payne after the singer died aged 31.
Following the incident, Harry Styles’s mother, Anne Twist, posted a broken-hearted emoji on Instagram, alongside the caption: “Just a boy.”
It was one of many tributes to Payne, who was pronounced dead at 5.11pm (9.11pm UK) after his body was discovered on the patio within the grounds of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.
Read the full story here.
Liam Payne had attended a concert by one of his former bandmates Niall Horan at Buenos Aires’s Movistar Arena on Oct 2.
The pair were pictured together at the gig days before Payne died.  Videos of him at the concert had been posted showing him singing along with the crowd below from his VIP box.
The death of a young star is always a shocking tragedy, the kind of loss that reverberates loudly in pop culture. Liam Payne’s death at 31 is going to hit a lot of people very hard indeed. 
As a member of One Direction, he was a huge character in one of the great musical stories of our times. 
They were the biggest, most beloved boy band of their era, bringing lively humour, distinct character and oodles of charm to their roles as 21st century pop pin-ups, delivering a raft of supremely well-crafted hits that have embedded themselves in the soundtrack of the times.
Read the full story by Chief Music Critic Neil McCormick here.
Liam Payne, who rose to fame in the pop band One Direction, has died at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires. 
Police and paramedics were called to the hotel in the Argentine capital after reports of a body found on a hotel patio on the inside of the building.
It is unclear whether Payne had fallen accidentally or jumped to his death at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. 
Read the full story here.