The 31-year-old star was found dead on Wednesday at the CasaSur Palermo hotel and it is not known if the fall was intentional or not.
His death came just hours after he posed for a picture with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy on Snapchat. Dressed topless wearing just a white baseball cap backwards and a pair of black shorts, he was pictured smiling with the American model.
Police responded to an emergency call from the hotel manager who had become concerned for the welfare of a guest.
Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area with forensic investigators seen entering and exiting in white protective suits and blue gloves.
They were photographed lighting candles and adorning the side of the road with flowers as they paid tribute to the beloved music star.
The British Foreign Office (FCDO) confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina "regarding reports of the death of a British man’".
Payne formed the boyband One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for "The X Factor".
One Direction photographed in Dublin in 2011.
After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world with five albums and four world tours, One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Earlier this month, Payne attended bandmate Niall’s Argentinian concert alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album "LP1" in December 2019 which included the songs "Polaroid", "Familiar" and "Strip That Down", featuring Quavo.
The song was one of two tracks that reached the top 10 in the UK official charts, alongside "For You" with Rita Ora from the film "Fifty Shades Freed" – which the duo performed at the Brit Awards in 2018.
He and Girls Aloud singer, Cheryl, share a son Bear, born in 2017, having been in a high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.
Payne first auditioned for "The X Factor", in 2008, at the age of 14 singing Frank Sinatra’s "Fly Me To The Moon", with judge Simon Cowell telling him to return to the ITV talent show two years later.
He impressed the judges in 2010 by singing Michael Buble’s rendition of "Cry Me A River" before he was put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group that later became One Direction.
In 2012, the boy band won their first Brit Award for Best British Single for their debut track "What Makes You Beautiful", before picking up the Brit global success award a year later.
In 2014 and 2015 they also won Best British Video for "Best Song Ever" and "You & I" respectively.
Liam Payne had traveled to Argentina to see Niall Horan's "The Show" live.
After Malik left the band, the quartet won Best Artist Video for "Drag Me Down", in 2016. They picked up the same award a year later for "History".
In August last year, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering from a "serious kidney infection".
He said the infection was something "I wouldn’t wish on anyone" and he had been instructed by doctors to "rest and recover".
Later last year he was banned from driving in the UK after admitting a speeding offence.
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The singer was reportedly traveling at 43mph in a 30mph zone and was banned from driving for six months, as well as paying a fine, in October 2023.
In August, Payne was announced as a judge on a new Netflix show alongside former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.
The stars were to judge attempts to create a band, looking at the contestants’ chemistry as they formed groupings in the musical competition series.
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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