Liam Payne, one of the five members of the boy band One Direction from ‘The X Factor,’ passed away on October 16 at the age of 31.
Payne was best known for being in One Direction, thanks to his unique voice. He was an essential part of the band’s chart-topping hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Best Song Ever,” “Story of My Life,” and “Night Changes.”
The singer died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to AP News. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state’s emergency medical system, said he fell into the courtyard of the CasaSur Palermo hotel. It is unclear if the fall was an accident, and authorities are investigating the cause.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Liam Payne started his music career as a contestant on The X Factor in 2008 when he was just 14 years old. He was eliminated after judge Simon Cowell said he was too young to continue and asked him to return when he was older. During this audition, Payne first met Cheryl Cole, whom he officially started dating in 2016. Cole was a judge alongside Cowell and Louis Walsh. They broke up in 2018 and have one child together, Bear Gray Payne, who is 7 years old.
Payne tried out for The X Factor again in 2010, singing “Cry Me a River” by Michael Bublé, which earned him high scores and a standing ovation from Cowell. Later, judge Nicole Scherzinger placed him in a group with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. They finished third in the show and later signed a record deal with Cowell’s Syco Entertainment.
The world first learned about One Direction through videos produced and shared by The X Factor. These videos helped fans get to know the members and their personalities. Payne was seen as the most responsible member of the group.
They were guided by Simon Cowell and a team of vocal coaches on The X Factor, including Savan Kotecha, who co-wrote One Direction’s first single, “What Makes You Beautiful,” and continued to write more songs for the band from 2011 to 2013.
One Direction announced their break in 2016, just a year after Malik became the first member to leave the group for a solo career. In July 2016, Payne signed a solo record deal with Capitol Records UK. He started releasing music as a solo artist in 2017 with the single “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo from Migos. The song, co-written by Ed Sheeran, reached the top 10 in the US and peaked at number 3 in the UK.
Payne released his debut album, LP1, in December 2019, which reached number 17 in the UK. Earlier this year, he announced his latest single, “Teardrops,” along with an acoustic version.
Liam has openly talked about his struggles with alcohol and suicidal thoughts. Just last year, he completed over three months of rehab. “I have been sober for more than 100 days now. I feel great, really, really good, and the support from the fans has been really, really amazing, so I’m very happy,” said the One Direction member in an interview with IFL TV.