Liam Payne’s final Instagram post features a photo of him and his former One Direction bandmates before his tragic passing. According to reports, Payne died at the age of 31 while abroad. Local officials in Buenos Aires, Argentina, claim he passed away following a fall at a hotel from the third floor, as stated by the Associated Press (AP).
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said on Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that Payne fell into a courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital. Payne reportedly travelled to Buenos Aires to catch a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan. He was spotted dancing at Horan’s performance two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena, enjoying the show with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
Payne was part of the original lineup of the globally renowned boy band. The group formed in 2010 on ITV’s The X Factor and comprised of Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles. The band achieved immense success, releasing five albums and embarking on four world tours before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Several weeks prior to his death, Payne uploaded an image of his time in One Direction. He can be seen smiling alongside his ex-band members and standing beside documentary filmmaker and TV producer, Morgan Spurlock. In what has become his final Instagram post, the ‘Teardrops’ singer paid tribute to the producer. In the caption, he wrote: “Rest in peace Morgan Spurlock it was a pleasure working with you.”
In December 2019, Payne launched his solo career with his debut album LP1, featuring singles like Polaroid and Familiar. Earlier this year, he released his brand new song, Teardrops. Sharing the news with his 26.4 million Instagram followers at the time, he announced: “Teardrops is out now. This song is born from many tears, not all mine. I hope you love it like I do and not too many of you can relate.”
Payne shares a son named Bear with Girls Aloud singer and former X Factor judge Cheryl, born in 2017. Their high-profile relationship lasted from 2016 to 2018. In August last year, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering from a “serious kidney infection”. He said the infection was something “I wouldn’t wish on anyone” and he had been instructed by doctors to “rest and recover”.
The post has seen been flooded with messages from fans following the news of his death. Chad typed: “Heart broken right now, rest easy man.” Akaur admitted: “i cannot believe it, rip.” Angel said: “Rest in peace Liam I can’t believe your gone this doesn’t feel real.” Arianna said: “Rest in peace Liam, you forever made a difference for a whole generation of music listeners.” Cici added: “Rest in peace liam, you were my childhood.” Miley penned: “Rest in peace liam, You forever changed musical history.”