On October 16th former One Direction band member and beloved songwriter, Liam Payne, was pronounced dead after an accidental fall at the Buenos Aires Hotel in Argentina. Autopsy reports concluded Payne passed from internal and external bleeding accompanying a fractured skill from falling off a third-story balcony. Fans and theorists are already questioning whether this was an accidental or intentional death.
In 2008, singer and songwriter, Liam Payne, first began his music career in X-Factor at the young age of 14, under the influence of judge Simon Cowell. Although he received three “yes” votes from the judges, Cowell advised him to return in two years believing him to be unprepared.
In 2010, Payne returned to compete in X-Factor where he was placed in a group created by Simon Cowell with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlison. After finishing third in the competition, the world’s hottest boyband debuted later that year under the name “One Direction” with their first hit single “What Makes You Beautiful”. Sadly, to everyone’s surprise, the band decided to split in 2016 due to the members wanting to pursue solo careers.
In 2019, Liam Payne began his solo career with his hit single “Strip That Down” that eventually peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although this was a great accomplishment, many speculated that Payne started to become spiteful after his former band members, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, had a hit song that reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Since his debut, Payne only released one album and in 2023, he debated releasing a second album, but it was delayed due to his ongoing battle with alcohol and drug addiction. In 2019, Payne spoke publicly about his mental health and his relationship with alcohol after the split of One Direction at the Men’s Health Australia. Again in 2019, Payne spoke about his experience with suicidal thoughts at a Skys News interview, and in 2021 in an episode of The Diary of a CEO.
Fans became increasingly worried for Payne’s health and even more when he took a break from his music career in 2023. Payne eventually revealed to his YouTube channel, he spent his break in rehabilitation after having continuous relapses.
In the video he expresses “I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me. I just feel like I’ve got more of a handle on it,”. Fans were even more overjoyed when he shared his news of a possible South American tour later that same year.
Just two weeks before Liam Payne’s death, he traveled to Argentina to support his former band member, Niall Horan, at a concert with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy. Two days before Payne’s accident, Cassidy abruptly left Argentina claiming she was “homesick” and left Payne by himself in their hotel room.
Minutes before his death, Argentina police received a phone call regarding a complaint of an aggressive and possibly drunk man in the hotel. It has not been confirmed whether the complaint was about Payne, or the context of the call.
Payne was declared dead on the scene and police eventually discovered a large amount of alcohol and drugs inside his hotel room, along with furniture and electronics, including the hotel television, being destroyed.
Autopsies are still being conducted whether Payne had consumed any alcohol or drugs, but theories and speculations of what caused this devastating event have already begun to spread all over social media.
Many are blaming his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, for leaving the former addict by himself in Argentina, knowing his prior history with alcohol.
Others genuinely believe there was some sort of altercation based on the phone call, and he had been pushed off of the balcony.
The investigation is still ongoing, but many have already given to condolences to Paynes’ family and his former girlfriend Cheryl Cole with their seven-year-old son, Bear:
“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. Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”