Liam Payne death latest: Six of One Direction star’s songs to enter charts after singer dies in Buenos Aires

The singer died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, officials said on Wednesday 16 October. Pablo Policicchio, the spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, said in a statement to the Associated Press that police were dispatched to the hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol”.

Born in Wolverhampton, England, Payne was drawn to singers such as Usher and Justin Timberlake. He remembered his childhood as a happy one: his father, Geoff, worked as a fitter, while his mother, Karen, was a nursery nurse.

“It was great, though we didn’t have much,” he told The Telegraph in a 2017 interview. “Dad was in debt, but they did the best they could. It makes you dream a bit, you know?”

Speaking to The Telegraph, Springsteen said that artists dying young is “not an unusual thing in my business.”

The “Born to Run” singer-songwriter continued: “It’s a normal thing. It’s a business that puts enormous pressures on young people.

“Young people don’t have the inner facility or the inner self yet to be able to protect themselves from a lot of the things that come with success and fame. So they get lost in a lot of the difficult and often pain inducing [things]… whether it’s drugs or alcohol to take some of that pressure off.”

“I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam,” Horan, 31, wrote. “It just doesn’t feel real.

“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and made everyone feel happy and secure.”

A toxicology report is still pending.

Peazer remained on friendly terms with the singer, whom she met on ITV reality contest The X Factor in 2010, and revealed in her statement the one thing she believed he was “most proud of”.

Writing on Instagram on Sunday, she urged her followers to see Payne not just as “a world-famous musician for the last decade” but also “someone’s son and brother for more than 30 years, a friend to so many and more recently an uncle”.

“His most important role and something he was the most proud of out of all of his monumental successes was that he was a father,” Peazer said. “The thought that there is now a child growing up without one of their parents is heartbreaking and unfair.

“To Liam’s son Bear, as well as his parents and sisters, my love, thoughts and strength goes to you. The magnitude of this loss is incomprehensible and I will continue to support you in any way I am able to.”

Waissel shared a lengthy statement upon the news of Payne’s death, calling him her “dear friend” and her “confident”, who offered her support during some of her “darkest moments” while on The X Factor.

“Liam was kind, with a pure heart, a sharp mind, and the wisdom of an old soul,” she said. “His warmth and compassion left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.