PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Former One Direction member Liam Payne died on Wednesday after falling from the third floor of an Argentina hotel, according to local officials. He was 31.
Police in Argentina say Payne was staying at the hotel CasaSur in the Palermo section of Buenos Aires.
The Wolverhampton, England native Payne made his singing debut on Britain's "The X Factor" reality TV show in 2008. He was eliminated from the show, but returned in 2010, along with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, as One Direction.
One Direction became a global smash, with Payne credited as one of the band's key songwriters. The group sold more than 70 million records worldwide before announcing in 2016 they would go on indefinite hiatus. Like his bandmates, Payne embarked on solo projects during the hiatus, including the Billboard top 10 single, "Strip That Down," featuring Migos rapper Quavo.
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