Liam Payne death latest: Details, cause of death and everything we know so far

In the days before his death, Liam Payne’s girlfriend of two years, 25-year-old influencer Kate Cassidy, had joined him on his trip to Argentina. The pair had been documenting their trip together on social media.

Cassidy had been on the trip with Payne for two weeks before she decided to return home to her Florida home.

In a vlog posted on her TikTok account two days before Payne’s death, Cassidy said she was “so ready to leave” Buenos Aires after their five day trip had turned into a two week long holiday.

Singer and reality TV star Paris Hilton paid tribute to the former One Direction member in a post on X, calling the singer’s death “so upsetting”.

“Sending love and condolences to his family and loved ones,” she wrote. “RIP my friend.”

DJ and music producer Zedd, who worked with Payne on the 2017 song “Get Low”, called the singer’s death “absolutely heartbreaking”.

Pop singer Charlie Puth, a co-writer on Payne’s 2017 song “Bedroom Floor”, said he was in “shock”.

“Liam was always so kind to me,” he posted on his Instagram, alongside a collection of photos of the pair working together.

“He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone… I am so upset right now, may he rest in peace.”

Former X-Factor contestant Rylan said Payne’s death was “so tragic”, while singing duo Jedward sent their love to his young son Bear and family.

“Sending strength to Cheryl and his son Bear, and all the One Direction family,” Jedward wrote on X.

One Direction star Liam Payne was sharing pictures and videos from his holiday in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy, barely an hour before his death.

In a Snapchat, the singer could be seen sitting at at a breakfast table in his hotel, joking with Cassidy. “Lovely day in Argentina,” the video was captioned.

In another post, Payne posed with Cassidy for a selfie with the caption, “Quality time” and teased a Halloween costume idea with a photo of himself sitting on a chair. It was captioned: “Halloween costume idea: Forest Gump.”

His final Snapchat story was a photo of himself and Cassidy in swimsuits, one that Cassidy had posted on Instagram in August 2023 to mark his 30th birthday.

An hour later, the 31-year-old had died following a fall from the third floor of the hotel. An investigation into his death is ongoing.

Liam Payne was reportedly in Buenos Aires to see Niall Horan perform, having previously told fans he wanted to “square a couple of things” with his former One Direction bandmate.

“We’re going to Argentina,” the singer said on Snapchat in the weeks before his death. “One, because we want to. Two, because we want to. And three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say ‘hello.’”

Payne admitted: “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about and I would like to square up a couple things with the boy. No bad vibes or nothing like that but we just need to talk.”

The pop star was later seen enjoying Horan’s gig, singing and dancing as he interacted with fans during Horan’s show at the Movistar Arena on 2 October.

According to police in Buenos Aires, officers at the scene of the hotel where Liam Payne died were initially responding to reports “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.

When they arrived at the scene, officials were told a loud sound had been heard in an interior courtyard. Soon after, they discovered the body there, the BBC reports. A police investigation has been launched.

Born in Wolverhampton, England, Payne was drawn to singers such as Usher and Justin Timberlake. He remembered his childhood as a happy one: his father, Geoff, worked as a fitter, while his mother, Karen, was a nursery nurse.

“It was great, though we didn’t have much,” he told The Telegraph in a 2017 interview. “Dad was in debt, but they did the best they could. It makes you dream a bit, you know?”

Believing a career in music would be “the thing that made my parents proudest”, he first appeared as a contestant on reality TV contest The X Factor in 2008, but was told by judge and show creator Simon Cowell to come back in two years.

When he returned in 2010, he was placed in the group One Direction alongside fellow contestants Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

“At the start we couldn’t get past our own egos,” he told The Guardian in a 2019 interview. “Everybody had their own little thing – it was like having four older brothers.” He claimed to be “a bit more mature” than his bandmates, which he said was due to his focus and ambition for a career in show business.

After placing third in the final, One Direction was signed to judge and show creator Simon Cowell’s label Syco Entertainment. Their debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful”, was an international success upon its release in September 2011, reaching No 1 on the UK singles chart.

What followed was a combined fan and media frenzy that drew comparisons to Beatlemania – One Direction, or “1D”, sold more than 70 million records worldwide and today are considered one of the biggest boybands in music history. They released five albums, including their 2011 debut Up All Night, and won a number of awards including seven Brits and four MTV Video Music awards.

TV presenter Dermot O’Leary has recalled Liam Payne auditioning for The X Factor as a 14-year-old boy, as he paid tribute to the singer following his death.

O’Leary, who hosted The X Factor during both of Payne’s appearances, shared a photograph of the pair on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “The worst news”.

“I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing,” he wrote.

“He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”