The X Factor UK paid tribute to the late Liam Payne following his death at age 31.
“We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne,” read a statement shared via X on Thursday, October 17. “He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world.”
The message was posted alongside a black-and-white photo of Payne. “Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him,” the statement concluded.
Us Weekly confirmed Payne’s death on Wednesday, October 16. The singer fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Officers arrived at the CasaSur Palermo hotel following a 911 call, which cited an “aggressive man” who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The hotel’s manager stated that a loud noise was heard coming from the internal courtyard at the back of the hotel.
Payne’s death is being investigated by authorities, and the results of a full autopsy have yet to be revealed. Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti revealed on Thursday that the musician suffered “serious injuries” that were beyond the point of resuscitation.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” he said, per La Nacion. “Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”
Crescenti added, “The team could do absolutely nothing. There was no resuscitation because it was confirmed that he had died. The whole body had very serious injuries.”
Payne is best known as a member of the band One Direction. The group was formed on The X Factor UK in 2010, with Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and more judges opting to save Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik instead of sending them home as solo artists. One Direction finished the season in third place but went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
Before One Direction’s rise to stardom, Payne auditioned for The X Factor UK in 2008 but was cut from the competition. “I do think Simon did the right thing,” Payne said on stage in extended footage from his 2010 audition, which was released in 2022. “I was really young and I wasn’t ready. Now I’m 16 and I’m back, I’m ready to give it another shot. … I’m glad I’ve come back.”
One Direction released five albums before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 to pursue solo careers. Payne’s first solo album, LP1, dropped in 2019. His final single before his death is titled “Teardrops” and was released in March.
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with ex Cheryl Cole, as well as his parents and two sisters.
