One Direction, an English-Irish pop boy band rocketed to stardom after they were formed in 2010 and were signed to Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records. One of the most popular in the group was Liam Payne, who was born in England in 1993.

On October 16, 2024, Liam Payne died at the age of 31 after falling out of a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

At first, the public thought that Payne's death might just be ruled an accident and no charges would be filed, but that idea has been OVERTURNED. A new report on TheSun.co.uk says that five people have now been charged in the death of the One Direction star; One of Liam Payne's pals, a waiter, the hotel manager, and two hotel staff members.

The Rise of One Direction

For the 2010 edition of the British singing competition, The X Factor, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson auditioned separately as solo acts.

While none of the boys would progress in the competition alone, they were put together to form a boy band and were pushed through in the "Groups" category. Both American singer Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell claim to have been the person who first suggested putting the five together. In 2010, Cowell claimed that it "took [him] 10 minutes to put them together as a group."

One Direction's debut single was "What Makes You Beautiful," which ended up being a smash hit and catapulted all five boys to superstardom.

Liam Payne

As one of the most popular members of the boy band, there was reason to think that Liam Payne would have a chance to strike out and make it on his own, so that's exactly where his career took him next. Payne first started working on solo material in 2015, and one of his first big breaks as a solo artist was being featured on a track titled "You" by Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J.

Payne's first solo single, "Strip That Down," was released in 2017 and peaked at number ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Struggles and death

Payne was rumored to have had trouble with drugs and alcohol for most of his adult life, and those problems would catch up to him in October 2024.

After buying cocaine from two hotel workers, Liam Payne was found dead a short time later after falling out of a third-story window of the hotel he was at in Argentina.

The two staff members who sold Payne the drugs have been charged in his death, as well as three others who "showed neglect by leaving Payne alone and vulnerable."

Judge Laura Bruniard said that Payne was in such an obvious state of distress on the night of his death that "what happened was foreseeable."

According to TheSun.co.uk, the judge "put the blame on two hotel workers who sold him cocaine, two others who helped “drag” him to his room before leaving him alone and vulnerable, and pal Rogelio “Roger” Nores, who had walked away 50 minutes before — “abandoning him to his fate”.

Pray for Liam Payne's family and fans as they search for justice during these terrible times.