By Giulia Gutzwiller, Newswire Intern

Singer-songwriter Liam Payne died at 31 after seemingly falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina last week. His death shocked fans around the world and has sparked conversations about celebrities’ mental health struggles. 

During Payne’s stay in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the manager of the hotel he was staying at called the police to report “an aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs.” The manager also mentioned that he could be at risk of falling from the balcony in his room. 

The police arrived shortly after Payne fell from his third floor balcony and was later pronounced dead at the scene as a result of his injuries. A significant amount of alcohol and drugs were found in his hotel room. They also found that Payne had trashed his room and destroyed hotel property. The local press released images of a shattered TV screen, bottles of alcohol and other objects from his room. 

His autopsy further concluded that internal and external hemorrhages were the cause of his death and that there were signs of full or partial unconsciousness before he fell. 

Many long-time fans are shaken by the news.“It still doesn’t feel real that there’s only four members now.”  First-year digital innovation in film and television (DIFT) major Lauren Everling said, “Who wasn’t a big fan of One Direction growing up?”

Payne’s journey in the music industry began when he auditioned for The X Factor, a British singing competition show, in 2008 at the age of 14. Although he was eliminated after a few rounds, he was encouraged by judge Simon Cowell to return in two years. He auditioned again in 2010 and was placed in a boy band that became One Direction with bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. 

The group quickly rose to fame and became one of the most popular boy bands in the world. Their first studio album,”Up All Night,” was released in November 2011 and became the first debut album by a British group to chart at No. 1 in the United States. One Direction released five studio albums and created classic hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Story of My Life,” “Night Changes” and “Steal My Girl.” 

Payne pursued a solo career after the band went on hiatus in 2016. He released his first and only studio album, “LP1,” on December 6, 2019. Some of his popular hits as a solo artist include “Strip That Down” (feat Quavo) and “For You” (feat Rita Ora) from this debut album. 

Former One Direction members took to social media to express their grief. Additionally, One Direction’s Instagram account posted for the first time since July 2020 regarding Payne’s death.

 “The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life,” Styles commented, on the post.

“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give just to just give you a hug one last time,” Malik wrote. 

In recent years, Payne opened up about his mental health issues and experiences with addiction.

“I was drunk quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on,” he said in an interview with Men’s Health Australia in 2019. In 2023, he revealed that he had spent 100 days in a rehabilitation facility and had been sober for six months. 

Payne’s situation has drawn attention to the negative aspects of fame and the mental health struggles that many other celebrities grapple with.