Former One Direction singer Liam Payne died after falling from his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to local police.

The 31-year-old singer passed away after falling from the third floor into the internal courtyard of the Casa Sur hotel, located in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in “extremely serious injuries.” Medics confirmed his death on the spot, the statement said.

Argentine media reported that Payne was in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan.

The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon. Authorities were first alerted at 5:04 p.m. through a 911 call from the hotel’s manager, who reported that a man was behaving aggressively and may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Personnel from the 14B Police Station responded to the scene, along with a team from the Emergency Medical Attention System (SAME), who found Payne’s body on the hotel backyard.

SAME paramedics confirmed Payne’s death shortly after their arrival at 5:11 p.m. The head of SAME, Alberto Crescenti, later provided details in a television interview, revealing that Payne had fallen from a height of approximately 13 or 14 meters (around 43 to 46 feet).

“We were alerted via 911 about a person in the internal courtyard of the Casa Sur hotel,” Crescenti explained. “By the time our team arrived, the man had already passed. Unfortunately, his injuries were fatal, and there was no possibility of resuscitation.”

A prosecutor and local authorities are investigating the cause of the singer’s death with assistance from the City Police.

Pablo Policicchio, a spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, told The Associated Press in a statement that Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”

Policicchio added that police were sent to the hotel to respond to a call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

Payne rose to fame as part of the globally successful boy band One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. The group was formed on the British talent show The X Factor in 2010. After One Direction went on hiatus in 2016, Payne pursued a solo career.

Known for songs such as “Strip That Down” and “Bedroom Floor,” Payne’s music career had continued to thrive with his most recent work released earlier this year.

Liam Payne’s Health Issues

In July of 2023, People reported that Payne posted a video on YouTube in which he spoke about being sober for nearly six months after a 100-day stint in a rehab facility.

“I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore,” Payne said in the video, per Poople. “And I’m sure you guys didn’t either. I was in bad shape up until that point, and I was really happy to kind of put a stopper to life and work.”

During a 2021 podcast appearance, Payne also spoke of having a “pills and booze face” during a phase in his life.

More recently, he was hospitalized in the fall of 2023 with a kidney infection.

Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl, who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with the group Girls Aloud. He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and two older sisters.

Update 10/16/24 6:33 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.