Liam Payne, who rose to prominence with the pop band One Direction, died at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires. Police and paramedics were dispatched to the hotel in the Argentine capital following reports of a body discovered on a hotel terrace within the premises. It is uncertain if Payne fell accidently or jumped to his death at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. According to Reuters, authorities received reports of "an aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol" at the hotel previous to Payne's murder.Police were called to the hotel at 5.04pm local time (9.04pm UK) and Payne was pronounced dead at 5.11pm.

Alberto Crescenti, a spokesperson for the city’s ambulance service, said: “Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.” Police were called to the hotel at 5.04pm local time (9.04pm UK) and Payne was pronounced dead at 5.11pm.

Alberto Crescenti, a spokesperson for the city’s ambulance service, said: “Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.” His death will be devastating for the legions of fans of One Direction (many of whom, seen below, gathered outside the hotel), who were for a period the biggest pop band in the world.