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Liam Payne was always very grateful for his parents. The One Direction star attributed all his fame and talent to his humble beginnings to his folks, and now they’re mourning his tragic death.
Liam Payne died on October 16, 2024, after he fell from his third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31 years old.
According to Alberto Crescenti, chief of Buenos Aires emergency services, Payne suffered “serious injuries” that proved fatal before responders could intervene. “Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” Crescenti told La Nación. A partial autopsy reported that Payne ingested substances including”pink cocaine” – a recreational drug that typically is a mix of several drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others – as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack before the fall.
Shortly after the news of his death broke, Liam Payne’s family made a statement. “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” the statement read. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Geoff Payne worked as a fitter (someone who puts together or installs machinery) when his son was first auditioning for One Direction. Liam said that his childhood was “great” despite not having that much. “Dad was in debt, but they did the best they could,” he said. “It makes you dream a bit, you know?”
Liam also revealed that his dad was the inspiration for him to audition for The X Factor. He told U.K. newspaper The Times in 2019, “I was 14 when I first appeared on The X Factor. It was my dad who was the driving force behind that. I entered the show for him.” He also supported his son’s ambitions to be a musician growing up. “I kind of tried to make it by myself for two years and done all sorts of gigs and different things, my dad was kind of my roadie at that point — making my CDs and carrying the speakers around and whatever else,” Liam said.
Geoff Payne went to Argentina shortly after his son’s death to retrieve his belongings and identify his body at the morgue. He thanked fans who made a memorial to his son outside the hotel where he died. A source told The Mirror that his father won’t leave his son’s side. “Liam’s loved ones just want him home, back where he belongs among his family,” the source said. “As they await the pathologist to finish their tests, behind the scenes, they have been tackling the logistics about how best to get his body back to the UK.
There are no direct commercial flights between Buenos Aires and London, but naturally, they want the flight to have the least stops and interruptions possible. But Geoff is determined to accompany his son home.” Liam’s body will remain in Argentina until the autopsy is complete.
Karen Payne worked as a nurse before Liam shot to fame in One Direction. She’s always been supportive of his son’s endeavors. “I shed tears just looking at him. They become someone in a newspaper or a magazine to you,” she said in the One Direction documentary This Is Us, revealing that she wanted to buy a cardboard cutout of him to say good night to since she didn’t see him as much anymore. “I always believed Liam would make it, but never this big. Never in my wildest dreams. He goes away for so long.”
When news of his death broke, friends of the family messaged her. One of their neighbors told DailyMail: ‘I messaged his mum Karen. She’s finding it hard to speak about what’s happened, but she said ”I’ve lost my beautiful boy”.’
