The vocalist soared to worldwide stardom after joining the boy band One Direction, who announced an extended break in 2016.
After quitting the best-selling boy band, Payne had a tremendous solo career, selling over 18 million singles in just three years and earning over 3.9 billion lifetime streams.
His most hit song was ‘Strip That Down,’ which peaked at number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Bear Grey Payne, the pop star’s kid with ex-girlfriend and former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, was born in 2017.
Fans all across the globe were shocked to learn of Payne’s terrible demise.
Following the singer’s death, admirers took to social media to pay respect.
“He helped shape a new generation of music and was part of one of the biggest bands in musical history. His influence has reached all ends of the globe,” one fan writes. “Rest in peace to a real legend.”
Another adds: “I’m heartbroken to hear about Liam Payne’s tragic passing. Such a young talent gone too soon – his music will be deeply missed.”
A third individual comments, “Liam’s passing is a great loss. He left an indelible mark on so many lives, and I’m thinking of all who are mourning today. May his memory be a source of comfort.”
“There’s been so many young lives lost lately, but this news really shook me. Especially when you’ve witnessed someone grow from strength to strength at a young age,” comments someone else. “This really puts into perspective how short life can be at any moment when you least expect it.”
The One Direction singer died in Argentina after falling from his hotel balcony on Wednesday, October 16.
According to Pablo Policicchio, a spokeswoman for the Buenos Aires municipality’s Security Ministry, police were called to the scene in response to an emergency call regarding an ‘aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.’
The singer’s fall allegedly caused ‘extremely serious injuries.’
Alberto Crescenti, director of the state emergency medical system, said investigators are looking into the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death and will perform an autopsy.
It’s still unclear if the fall was deliberate or unintentional.
Payne was in Argentina to see his former bandmate Niall Horan’s gig.
The tragedy became much more devastating when the singer’s last social media posts started to surface online.
Payne’s last Snapchat photo, which was taken only minutes before his terrible death, showed him cheerfully posing with his Texan model girlfriend Kate Cassidy in front of a mirror, according to MailOnline.
Within an hour of the local press announcing his death, a video of him enjoying breakfast with Cassidy was posted, according to The Sun.
The footage shows Payne saying: “This is the breakfast table, just enjoying breakfast and coffee even though it’s 1 p.m.”
Cassidy can be heard in the background joking that the couple are ‘losers’ for sleeping so late.
Payne adds: “Today, we ride. I think I’m going to be playing polo again, which is going to put me out of action for about six weeks.”
“Honestly, polo, out of everything I’ve ever done sports-wise, not that I’m taking up polo professionally, by the way, I’m just like, I had a go for some fun.”
“It’s so hard to do, number one. Number two, my back and my neck from swinging that hammer around, or mallet, I think it’s called, if you’re in the know, it’s polo language.”
More tape shows Payne filming his girlfriend and dog watching Jimmy Carr on TV while requesting people to make captions for him.
Cassidy traveled back to her home state of Florida on October 14, so it seems Payne did not publish the footage in real time.
In a video, the model said that she ‘was so ready to go’ and was happy to be back in her bed.
According to Page Six, immediately after Payne’s death, the recordings were taken from his main Snapchat story and preserved under his account’s ‘Spotlight’ button.
