One Direction singer Liam Payne tragically fell to his death from the third floor of the Casa Sur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday while holidaying with his girlfriend
Droves of heartbroken fans have gathered near the Buenos Aires hotel where singer Liam Payne tragically fell to his death.
The star, who was one of five members of One Direction, devastatingly died on Wednesday after plunging from the third floor of a boutique hotel building in the Argentinian capital.
A body was found in an internal patio of the Casa Sur Palermo hotel shortly after 5pm local time. City ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti said he had fallen around 40 metres and suffered “severe injuries which were incompatible with life.”
Liam’s body has been sent for an autopsy and investigations are ongoing. Shortly after news of the X Factor star’s death emerged, distraught fans rushed to the hotel and gathered in the street as armed guards stood watch. Young women at the scene expressed their disbelief and heartbreak, sharing how sad it was that Liam died “so young”.
“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told The Associated Press. Another fan, 18-year-old Juana Relh, said: “I’ve always loved One Direction since I was little. To see that he died and that there will never be another reunion of the boys is unbelievable, it kills me.” Liam was 14 years old when he first auditioned on The X Factor, and 31 when he died.
The Casa Sur Palermo hotel, which has a four out of five star rating on TripAdvisor, claims to have ‘one of the most magnificent terraces’ in Buenos Aires. The lavish hotel’s website states that it boasts 61 modern rooms, a dimly lit dining area and a crystal blue outdoor pool where guests can enjoy the ‘urban area’, as well as an on-site spa and sauna facilities.
A description reads: “CasaSur Palermo hotel is located in the modern neighbourhood of Palermo Hollywood, surrounded by bars, art galleries and the best restaurants in the city of Buenos Aires.” The website adds that the interiors are “elegantly decorated in a chic and contemporary style and feature minimalist furniture, wooden floors and delicate textures”.
Liam had been staying at the hotel with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. Just hours before the tragedy, the singer had uploaded images for his fans on Snapchat. In them, Liam was seen sharing his food and told of his plans to play polo. He also filmed Kate as they ate breakfast together. Liam said: “This is the breakfast table, just enjoying breakfast and coffee even though it’s 1pm.”
He revealed they had been staying at their friend’s home as Kate joked in the background they are “losers” for laying in. Liam had earlier explained on social media why he was in the country. He said: “We’re going to Argentina. One, because we have to, and two, because we want to, and three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say ‘Hello’.
“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 just, we need to talk.” Another selfie was captioned: “Lovely day in Argentina”, and Liam also shared a photo of the hotel, writing: “Happy I got some time away”, followed by a heart emoji.
City ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti said: “The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur. At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead. Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.”
A Buenos Aires hotel manager made two 911 calls requesting “urgent” assistance ahead of Liam’s tragic death, expressing concerns for his wellbeing. Hotel Casa Sur’s head of reception told emergency services: “We have a guest who’s off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come.”
He phoned back after the line went dead, and said: “I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger… The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something.” Seconds later the hotel employee, who identified himself only by his first name of Esteban, added: “Just send an ambulance, only an ambulance.”
Tributes have been shared online by fans and famous friends of Liam’s following the sad news. Among those paying respect was Harry Styles’ mum. She posted on Instagram in view of her 2.5 million followers. Her post included a black screen with a red broken heart emoji across it. Captioning her upload, she penned: “Just a boy…,” alongside another broken heart.
