One Direction Star Liam Payne Dies Age 31

Facts

• Liam Payne, a former member of the boy band One Direction, died on Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.^[1]
• Following the fall into the hotel's inner courtyard, a hotel worker, who described him as having been under the influence of 'drugs and alcohol,' called authorities, though medical officials say he suffered a 'cranial fracture' and died instantly.^[2][3]
• Payne was born on Aug. 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England. He made his first public appearance auditioning for 'The X Factor' in 2008, and joined the show again in 2010 alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson, who later became One Direction.^[4]
• One Direction achieved five top-of-the-charts albums and conducted four world tours from 2010 to 2016. In 2017, he reached number three on the UK charts with his debut solo song 'Strip That Down,' and worked with Rita Ora on her release 'For You.'^[1][5]
• Payne, whose latest song 'Teardrops' was released this year, had spoken about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues. He completed 100 days of rehab in July of last year.^[6]
• Payne is survived by his son Bear, whom he had with former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole, 41. The pair dated from 2016-2018.^[1][5]

Sources: ^[1]BBC News, ^[2]New York Post, ^[3]E! Online, ^[4]New York Times, ^[5]The Telegraph and ^[6]The Standard.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Sky News. Liam Payne was beloved by the world, from the time of his first audition at 14 to his final days. While he never quite reached the level of fame achieved by other members of the band, he still produced several hits during his own solo career. His life and death are evidence of the harsh life of a world-famous child star, but his memory will live on in the hearts of fans and celebrities alike.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Times. The harsh life of someone like Liam Payne isn't a tragic byproduct of the music industry, but rather a part of its design. If Payne had come to fame ten years prior, the industry would have chosen his personality and physical appearance — not Harry Styles' — as the one to launch into stardom and profit from. Since he wasn't their desired demographic, however, they tossed him into the shadows, which was likely the cause of his troubles over the last several years.