Liam Payne: His Life in One Direction & Beyond in Photos

After a 14-year career in music that began with the formation of One Direction in 2010 and continued with a successful solo run, Liam Payne has died at age 31. The pop singer/songwriter died after falling from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, local police confirmed to CNN.

Before his untimely death, the star made a name for himself in pop music, beginning as one-fifth of the wildly popular British boy band One Direction, which was pieced together in 2010 from the five individual members auditioning for the U.K. version of The X Factor singing competition. In fact, Payne had previously auditioned for the show in 2008, when he was just 14 years old. The judges passed on him, but Simon Cowell encouraged him to return to the show in two years, setting up his eventual 1D future.

One Direction would become one of the most successful pop vocal groups of all time, scoring four sold-out world tours, four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and six Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits.

Payne came out of the gate swinging for his solo debut, enlisting Migos rapper Quavo for his lone solo Hot 100 top 10 “Strip That Down,” which peaked at No. 10 in September 2017. It was one of four Hot 100-charting solo songs for Payne.

Following the news of Payne’s death, celebrities including his “Get Low” collaborator Zedd and Paris Hilton mourned the loss of their friend. “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking …,” Zedd wrote on X alongside a broken-heart emoji, while Hilton tweeted, “So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing … Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend.”

To relive happier times for Payne, find photos from his life and career below, from his days in One Direction to his time as an adult pop star.