Liam Payne died on Wednesday at the age of 31.
The hitmaker reportedly fell from a third floor of a hotel in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, according to TMZ. Investigations into his death are still ongoing.
The English star rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. He made his debut as a singer on the British television series The X Factor, when he was just 14.
In recent years, Payne has become something of an internet sensation after a string of bizarre onscreen appearances which have become fodder for ‘memes.’
As Hollywood mourns the musician, DailyMail.com takes a look back at the highs and lows of his life and career.
Liam Payne died on Wednesday at the age of 31, after he reportedly fell from a third floor of a hotel in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, according to TMZ; seen in 2023
As Hollywood mourns the musician, DailyMail.com takes a look back at his life and career; (L-R) Liam pictured with One Direction members Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles in 2013
Debut on the X Factor (2008)
Payne had his first audition for the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008, when he was just 14 years old.
The audition was held in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.
He advanced past the first round of X Factor after impressing the judges with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon.’
Though he was initially eliminated at the Boot Camp stage, Cowell brought Payne back for the judges’ houses stage. He was cut again during judges’ houses but was encouraged by Cowell to return in two years.
The singer returned to the show in 2010, auditioning in front of Cowell, Cole, Walsh and guest judge Natalie Imbruglia.
Following a suggestion from former judge Nicole Scherzinger, he was put together with Horan, Malik, Styles and Tomlinson to form a boy band.
He made his debut as a singer on the British television series The X Factor, when he was 14; seen on X Factor in 2010
The singer returned to the show in 2010; seen in 2010
Following a suggestion from former judge Nicole Scherzinger, he was put together with Horan, Malik, Styles and Tomlinson to form a boy band; they are seen in 2010 on the show
The fan reaction was instant too, with 1D hysteria soon dwarfing the show. Despite the adoration, the band ultimately finished in third place on the X Factor.
Cowell later admitted to Rolling Stone that it took him ‘about a millionth of a second’ to spot the group’s worldwide potential.
After the X Factor, One Direction were signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment.
Rise To Fame With One Direction (2010 – 2016)
One Direction’s debut single, What Makes You Beautiful, was released September 2011 and reached number one in several countries.
It was followed by their debut album, Up All Night, making One Direction the first UK group to have their debut album reach number one in the United States.
The group released ‘Live While We’re Young’, the lead single from their second album in September 2012. It became an instant global success.
By November 2012, they released their second album, Take Me Home, which reached number one in over 35 countries.
The group’s third album, Midnight Memories, was released in November 2013. It became the best-selling album worldwide that year, with 4 million copies sold globally.
After the X Factor, One Direction were signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment; the group seen in 2013
The group’s third headline tour, the Where We Are Tour, grossed over $290 million, setting a new record as the highest-grossing tour of all time by a vocal group; seen performing in 2013
The group’s third headline tour, the Where We Are Tour, grossed over $290 million, setting a new record as the highest-grossing tour of all time by a vocal group.
The group released their fourth album, Four, in 2014. It was the last album that included Gigi Hadid’s ex Zayn.
Following the release of their fifth album, Made in the A.M., in November 2015, the group went on an indefinite break.
Payne was a key songwriter in One Direction, contributing to more than half of the songs on the band’s third and fourth albums.
After Malik announced his departure from the band in 2015, Payne had to take over the majority of his vocals.
In a 2015 interview with GQ, Liam said Zayn didn’t even say goodbye when he left the band in 2015.
The group released their fourth album, Four, in 2014. It was the last album that included Gigi Hadid’s ex Zayn. Following the release of their fifth album, Made in the A.M., in November 2015, the group went on an indefinite break; seen in 2014
‘I think with Zayn’s particular exit and the way he chose to go, we haven’t really heard from him since he left.’
‘He didn’t even say goodbye, if I am being honest. It was a really sordid scenario, from our side certainly. A bit strange. It’s difficult.’
Eventually, the band went their separate ways.
During their time as a band, One Direction won five Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, amassed over three billion YouTube views and sold 50 million records worldwide.
Liam Welcomes Son Bear (2017)
Liam welcomed his seven-year-old son, Bear Grey, with Cheryl Cole in March 2017.
Earlier this year in August he made rare comments about his ‘mini me’ son while celebrating his 31st birthday.
In an Instagram video uploaded at the time, the late star told his followers, ‘I didn’t get any dad socks yet thought. I’m going to speak to my son in a little bit which I’m really excited about.’
‘Bless him. He’s getting so big now. He’s a big boy and he looks like a mini me. As if we needed any more me in the world.’
In 2016, he began dating Cheryl after her divorce from Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini and their son was born the following year. However, in 2018, the pair split.
After a brief relationship with supermodel, Naomi Campbell, the singer began dating Maya Henry in 2019 – and became engaged the next year. In 2022, the former couple officially went their separate ways.
Just days before Liam’s death, Henry had begun to take legal action against him after accusing the One Direction star of obsessive contact and ‘weaponizing’ his fans against her.
Liam welcomed his seven-year-old son, Bear Grey, with Cheryl Cole in March 2017 – and earlier this year in August, made rare comments about his ‘mini me’ son while celebrating his 31st birthday
In an Instagram video uploaded at the time, the late star told his followers, ‘He’s getting so big now. He’s a big boy and he looks like a mini me. As if we needed any more me in the world’
But not long after his passing, Maya broke her silence – with her representative telling DailyMail.com: ‘Right now she is obviously in shock.’
Up until his death, Payne had been in a relationship with Kate Cassidy, whom he started dating in October 2022.
Both Liam and his ex, Cheryl, have mainly kept their son out of the public eye but he has made other previous comments on Bear in the past.
During an interview with People in 2022, the For You singer sweetly gushed that his son looks at him like ‘a superhero.’
‘I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes. And I make sure when I see him, he has 100 percent of my time. I make sure that I’m not on my phone or d*****g around somewhere else.’
Solo Career (2016 – 2021)
After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boybands of all time, Liam released his first — and only — solo album titled LP1 in 2019.
His singles Strip That Down co-written with Ed Sheeran climbed its way to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.
After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boybands of all time, Liam released his first — and only — solo album titled LP1 in 2019; seen in 2018
Payne announced he was working on his second album in May 2023.
He had planned his first solo tour of Latin America for September 2023. But he had to postpone the tour due to a kidney infection that landed him in the hospital in August 2023.
Liam Says He’s The ‘Antichrist Version’ Of Harry (2019)
In 2019, Liam very candidly revealed that he wouldn’t even known what to say to his former band mate Harry, due to how different they’ve become, and that thinks his clothes are ‘weird.’
Speaking during an interview with The Face magazine, Liam admitted that there is now a ‘mystery’ surrounding Harry and his transformation into a solo artist.
Discussing the star, he said: ‘There’s so much mystery around who he’s become. I was looking at some pictures of him the other day, and I just thought: “I don’t know what more I’d say to him other than, ‘Hello’ and ‘How are you?”.
Liam went on to make clear the disparity between the two artists and pointed out that the music they are currently making is very different.
He said: ‘I mean, look at the stuff I put out and the stuff Harry puts out. Polar opposite. I’m like the antichrist version of what Harry is.’
While Liam’s outfit choices leaned towards more mainstream style, he was quizzed on what he thinks of Harry’s ‘big trousers’ and he didn’t mince his words.
In 2019, Liam candidly revealed he wouldn’t known what to say to former band mate Harry, due to how different they’ve become, calling himself the ‘antichrist version’; Harry and Liam seen in 2015
He replied: ‘… I couldn’t put myself in that. I’d look f**king… It’d look weird.’
That same year he also spoke with Nova 96.9’s Fitzy & Wippa and said: ‘I haven’t seen or heard from Harry in some time now, which is fine, everyone needs their space.’
‘Would I like to get back together? Yeah, definitely. I don’t see any reason why we can’t but if that’s the way he feels that’s up to him really.’
Liam Admits To Feud with Louis (2019)
Liam sensationally admitted that he ‘absolutely hated’ Louis when One Direction were first formed in a 2019 interview.
Liam told Hits Radio: ‘When we were in the band it kind of felt like, because he was the oldest and because I’d been singing for quite a bit of time we both got put in a weird position.’
Liam sensationally admitted that he ‘absolutely hated’ Louis when One Direction were first formed in a 2019 interview; they are seen in 2015
‘He was wanting to be the leader and I was doing my thing and wanted to.’
‘So at first we didn’t get on at all. We absolutely hated each other, it was so funny. Really bad. We hid it well.’
Liam Calls Zayn A ‘D**k’ (2022)
In 2022 Liam called Zayn a ‘d*ck’ in a controversial interview on Logan Paul’s podcast.
During the interview he mocked Zayn’s altercation with Yolanda Hadid and claimed to have outsold former bandmates.
He and the host discussed Malik’s headline-making online feud with Logan’s brother Jake Paul in 2020, which ended with Zayn’s then-girlfriend Gigi slamming Jake as ‘irrelevant’ and defending her beau as ‘a respectful king’.
Liam gave his thoughts on the drama, saying: ‘She tweeted something about get yourself a respectful man or something. That one didn’t age very well.’
The comment has been interpreted by fans as a reference to the allegation that Gigi’s mother Yolanda Hadid made last year, that Zayn had shoved her into a dresser and called her a ‘f***ing Dutch slut’.
Liam continued to talk about Zayn, saying there were ‘many reasons why I dislike Zayn’ but that he will ‘always be on his side’ because of Zayn’s alleged tough upbringing.
He said: ‘There’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side.
In 2022 Liam called Zayn a ‘d*ck’ in a controversial interview on Logan Paul’s podcast; they are seen in 2014
During the interview he mocked Zayn’s altercation with Yolanda Hadid and claimed to have outsold former bandmates
‘If I had had to go through what he went through, through his growth and whatever else. You know are your parents very supportive?
‘My parents are overly supportive to the point where it’s annoying at times and they don’t even mind me saying that. And Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.’
He continued: ‘You can always look at the man for where he is and say, “Oh, yeah, whatever that guy’s a d*ck.” Right? But at the end of the day, once you understand what he’s been through to get to that point, and also whether or not he even wanted to be there…’
‘I’m so misunderstood by myself more than anyone, like I don’t know what I’m doing or why I’m here. It’s like, I can’t sit here and d*ck on him because of whatever.’
Following backlash to the interview, he insisted Zayn is his ‘brother’ and that he failed to articulate himself properly.
Liam said: ‘Guys – I wouldn’t normally comment on this stuff but when its your family it’s hard to let it slide.’
‘They mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to – but listening back maybe I didn’t articulate myself as well as I could have.’
After a huge backlash he called Zayn his ‘brother’ and said he failed to articulate himself properly
‘I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side. That’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever.’
Elsewhere in the Logan Paul interview, Payne spoke of an alleged incident where another One Direction member ‘threw him up against a wall’.
He claims he told the bandmate: ‘If you don’t remove those hands, there’s a high likelihood you’ll never use them again.’
Although clips from the interview went viral at the time, they have recently resurfaced thanks to comments Liam’s ex, Maya Henry, has made online.
Speaking on TikTok, the influencer claimed the bandmate involved in the alleged incident was Malik, after a fan suggested they thought it was Louis Tomlinson.
She said she ‘could not hold this information any more’, explaining: ‘I see this all the time, everywhere, I’ve heard this insufferable story so many times…he told me it was Zayn, so…’
Heartbreaking Reunion With Niall Days Before His Death (2024)
Despite going through ups and downs with some of his bandmates, Liam reunited with Niall just days before he was found dead.
A heartbreaking video shows Liam singing and dancing at his former bandmate’s concert in Argentina.
He seemed to be in high spirits as he wrapped his arm around girlfriend Kate Cassidy’s shoulder and tenderly kissed her on the head.
Despite going through ups and downs with some of his bandmates, Liam reunited with Niall just days before he was found dead
He waves his arm from side to side and sings along as Kate lovingly rests her head on his shoulder.
Liam jetted off to South America where Niall was on tour as he told fans he ‘would like to square up a couple of things’ with his former bandmate.
But just days after attending the concert in Buenos Aires, Payne was found dead after reportedly falling from his room at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel.
Earlier this month Liam announced he and Kate were flying to Argentina ‘One, because we want to. Two, because we want to. And three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say “hello”.’
He admitted: ‘It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about and I would like to square up a couple things with the boy. No bad vibes or nothing like that but we just need to talk.’
He took to Snapchat stories and captioned one snap with Niall: ‘Reunited.’
During the concert, Liam also shared several videos with his followers as he partied in a box with his girlfriend Kate, 25.
He excitedly captioned one picture with: ‘We’re here (smiley face emoji)’.
A heartbreaking video shows Liam singing and dancing at his former bandmate’s concert in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy
The former One Direction star also showed his support for his pal as he shared several videos and snaps of him performing on stage to thousands of fans
The former One Direction star also showed his support for his pal as he shared several videos and snaps of him performing on stage to thousands of fans.
He captioned them with: ‘So happy I got to see Niall in concert (love heart emoji).’
City ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti said Payne had fallen around 40 metres and suffered ‘severe injuries which were incompatible with life.’
He said: ‘The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.’
‘At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.’
‘Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.’
There has been an outpouring of tributes online, with fellow former X Factor contestants Jedward writing: ‘RIP Liam Payne. Condolences to his friends and family.’
Liam jetted off to South America where Niall was on tour as he told fans he ‘would like to square up a couple of things’ with his former bandmate
Liam Payne’s haunting final social media post showed him spending time with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy – just minutes before he died aged 31
They added: ‘Sending strength to Cheryl and his son Bear, and all the One Direction family.’
Paris Hilton wrote: ‘So upsetting to hear the news of Liam Payne passing. Sending love and condolences to his family and loves ones. RIP my friend.
Stephen Bartlett penned: ‘I cannot believe what I’m reading about Liam Payne. Absolutely heartbreaking.’
MTV released the following tribute: ‘We’re deeply saddened to learn of Liam Payne’s tragic passing today. During this difficult time, our hearts remain with his family, loved one, and fans.’
