October 17, 2024 - British singer Liam Payne died under tragic circumstances after he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, yesterday, October 16. The star, whose debut single What Makes You Beautiful made him a global sensation overnight, was 31.

According to news reports, the former One Direction singer was staying in Casa Sur Hotel in the city. Police rushed to the site when they received an emergency call around 5:00 pm local time. Payne fell from the third floor balcony and sustained severe head injuries. He was pronounced dead on the spot. It is not yet known whether the death was accidental or intentional.

When news of the star’s death broke, Google started trending with Liam Payne news search at the top, seeing a 1000 per cent rise. It is said that more than 500,000 searches were made in a period of nine hours.

Payne was one of the five members of the erstwhile One Direction band, the other four being Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. He was only 16 years old when he became a part of this hugely successful boy band in 2010. The singers parted ways in 2015.