Liam Payne posted video of him with girlfriend Kate Cassidy on Snapchat just hours before his tragic death in Buenos Aires.
Local police said the 31-year-old singer fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, before medics confirmed his death.
According to police in Buenos Aires, officers were initially responding to reports “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.
In light of his death, many fans have remarked that Payne appeared to be behaving normally on his Snapchat hours before his passing, in contrast to the reports.
However, it seems the videos were posted days after they were filmed, as they feature Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy, who had already shared videos of her return to Florida earlier in the week.
In one post, the Strip That Down singer spoke to his followers about his plans for the day ahead, saying it was a "lovely day in Argentina".
"Today, we ride. We're going to ride some horses," he said. "Think I'm going to play polo again, which is going to put me out of action for about six weeks.
"It's so hard to do, number one, my back and my neck from swinging that hammer around... or mallet, I think it's called if you're in the know.
"It hurts a lot, it's very tough to do."
Then in a selfie-style video from the hotel breakfast table, Payne playfully called out Cassidy for leaving a hat on the table. “Children,” he jokingly muttered in the clip.
The couple said they had been having lie-ins every morning, and the singer told his followers they were enjoying coffee and breakfast, "even though it's like 1pm".
“We literally sleep in every day until like 12,” Cassidy, who he has been dating since October 2022, said in the background. “We're such losers.”
Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving.
Fans were photographed lighting candles and leaving flowers at the side of the road in an impromptu vigil as they paid tribute to the music star.
The Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina “regarding reports of the death of a British man”.
But a spokesman declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.
Payne formed boy band One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor.
After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Among those paying tribute to Payne was former X Factor host Dermot O’Leary, who wrote on Instagram: “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 was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”
Olly Murs, who appeared on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said in a post on Instagram that he was “lost for words”, adding that the pair shared “the same passions”.
The Wanted star Max George said Payne had “supported me a lot” after the death of his bandmate Tom Parker from a brain tumour in March 2022.
Payne previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, describing hitting “rock bottom” to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett.
He admitted his addiction to alcohol continued during the Covid pandemic, but in 2023 he posted a YouTube video confirming he was almost six months sober after nearly 100 days in a US rehab facility.
Earlier this month, Payne attended bandmate Horan’s Argentinian concert alongside his girlfriend.
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.
Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 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.
In 2010, he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which 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.
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 2023, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering 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”.
In October that year, he was banned from driving in the UK after admitting a speeding offence.
The singer was reportedly travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone and was banned from driving for six months, as well as paying a fine.
In August this year, 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.
