Former boy band star Liam Payne Former One Direction member dies after falling from hotel balcony

Liam Payne celebrated huge success with the English boy band One Direction. The circumstances of the accident in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires are still unclear. He leaves behind a seven-year-old son.

A former member of boy band One Direction has died in a fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina. The 31-year-old Liam Payne suffered "extremely serious" injuries in the fall from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in the trendy Palermo district of the capital Buenos Aires. He was found dead at the scene of the accident, the police said.

Pablo Policicchio, the spokesman for the Buenos Aires security authority, said that Payne had thrown himself from the balcony of his hotel room. The police had been called out in response to an emergency call about an "aggressive man" who was possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Upon their arrival, the police heard a crash - and found Payne in the courtyard of the hotel.

Alberto Crescenti, the head of the emergency medical system in the province of Buenos Aires, told television station Todo Noticias that the circumstances of the singer's death were being investigated and an autopsy was underway. He declined to answer further questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped from the balcony or fell in an accident. Argentine media reported that Payne had been in Buenos Aires to attend a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan.

Judges formed One Direction

Payne was one of five members of the boy band One Direction, which was formed when the men appeared on the British casting show "The X Factor" in 2010. None of the five musicians made it through to the final on their own. However, the judges turned them into one of the most successful boybands of the time.

Payne leaves behind a seven-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, who was born to his ex-girlfriend, the musician Cheryl, who became known as Cheryl Cole through her performances with the group Girls Aloud. He is also survived by his parents Geoff and Karen Payne and his two older sisters Ruth and Nicola.

dpa