Liam Payne, former One Direction singer, dies aged 31

Liam Payne, a former member of the boyband One Direction, has died aged 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, police have confirmed.

The singer died on Wednesday at 5pm local time.

“Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo,” Buenos Aires police said in a statement.

Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that Payne had fallen into an internal courtyard at the hotel.

“A few minutes later [an] emergency team arrived and confirmed the death of this man who we later learned was from a musical group. He had injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall. There was no way to do anything,” Crescenti said.

Crescenti said authorities were investigating the circumstances of Payne’s death and conducting an autopsy.

In a statement on Wednesday, the police said they had gone to the hotel after being notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol”, according to Reuters. The hotel manager said he heard a loud noise at the back of the hotel, and when police arrived they found that a man had fallen over the balcony in his room, the statement said.

Payne had been visiting Argentina along with his former bandmate Niall Horan, who performed at the city’s Movistar Arena on 2 October. Payne was seen dancing and singing along with Horan’s fans at the concert.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the hotel on Wednesday evening, where police sectioned off the entrance with tape.

A quiet disbelief hung over the street. Supporters stood in shock, many of them in tears as they consoled one another. Others stared up at the hotel, of which all the curtains were closed.