17 October 2024, 09:38 | Updated: 17 October 2024, 10:28
Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died following a fall from a third-floor hotel balcony in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires.
Just before his unexpected death, he shared a lighthearted snapchat with girlfiend Kate Cassidy.
Payne was engaging with fans on Snapchat up until the hours before he passed away, offering them a glimpse into his personal life, which
The posts include a photo of himself and his girlfriend enjoying breakfast at 1pm, where he remarked they were “enjoying coffee”.
The artist told fans about their plans for the day, which involved horse riding and possibly playing polo again.
He joked it’s a sport he joked that was “hard to do”, playfully noting the sore neck and back from handling the mallet.
Emergency responders received a phone call from the manager of the Buenos Aires hotel where the star was staying.
The head of reception at Hotel Casa Sur is reported to have told an operator: “We need someone to come.“I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger.
The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something.”Seconds later the employee, who gave his name as Esteban, said: “Send an ambulance, only an ambulance.”
The calls to emergency services were leaked to local media last night.
Read more: Liam Payne’s ex-fiancée breaks silence after former One Direction star falls to his death aged
Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving.
Fans were photographed lighting candles and leaving flowers at the side of the road in an impromptu vigil as they paid tribute to the music star.
The Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina “regarding reports of the death of a British man”.
But a spokesman declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.
Payne’s death comes after it was widely reported that his ex-fiancee, Maya Henry, had started legal proceedings, allegedly issuing a cease and desist letter for repeated contact.
The US model, who was engaged to Payne from August 2020 until he announced their separation in June 2021, claimed in a recent TikTok video that, since their break-up, the singer would “blow up my phone” from different numbers.
In the call, an employee said: “We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger.
“They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk.”
Witnesses at the hotel reported Liam smashed his laptop and he had even had to be carried back to his room, according to TMZ.
Police found Liam dead in the hotel’s inner courtyard at around 5pm local time (9pm UK time) when they arrived.
A spokesman for the local ambulance service said Liam’s death had been confirmed on the spot after he had fallen and suffered severe injuries.
Liam Payne reinvented the concept of the boy band with the rest of One Direction to become global pop stars.
The British singer-songwriter rose to fame after being put together with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson on The X Factor in 2010.
The group released five studio albums and won seven Brit Awards, including for their 2012 debut hit What Makes You Beautiful, to the track History from their last album in 2015, released months after Malik left the group.
