Liam Payne of One Direction Dies at 31 After Falling from Hotel Balcony in Argentina

Liam Payne has died after falling from a hotel balcony. He was 31 years old.

The former One Direction member was pronounced dead after falling multiple stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, Oct. 16, Policía Federal Argentina confirm to PEOPLE. Argentine news channel TN was first to report the news.

An investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances surrounding Payne's death, local police told PEOPLE, adding that an autopsy will be conducted.

In a statement translated from Spanish, Alberto Crescenti (the head of SAME, Buenos Aires' public emergency medical services system) told TN that Payne fell into the hotel’s internal courtyard.

A SAME team arrived at the hotel and verified the death of the man, who was later identified as Payne, around 5:11 p.m. local time, Crescenti said, adding that the injuries the musician suffered were so severe that there "was no possibility of resuscitation."

Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son Bear Grey, with his ex, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.

The British singer got his start in music on The X-Factor in 2010, after the judges teamed him up with fellow solo contestants Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson to form One Direction. Though the group didn’t win the show, they still skyrocketed to superstardom and became one of the most prominent boy bands in history.

The pop-rock band released four highly successful studio albums and garnered a massive global fanbase — with Payne co-writing hits like "Midnight Memories," "No Control," "Steal My Girl" and "Night Changes" — before member Malik left the group in 2015.

Following the release of their final album in Made in the A.M. sans Malik, One Direction announced in 2016 that the band would be going on an indefinite hiatus, and each remaining member — Payne, Styles, Horan and Tomlinson — embarked on their respective solo careers.

Payne kickstarted his career as a solo singer-rapper in 2017 with hit track "Strip That Down” featuring Quavo, which has over 1 billion streams on Spotify. He released his first solo EP, First Time, in 2018, and his first and only studio album, LP1, the following year.

In his personal life, the One Direction alum dated X Factor judge Cole — formerly of girl group Girls Aloud — beginning in late 2015, and welcomed son Bear in 2017. Since announcing their split in July 2018, the exes have continued to co-parent Bear.

Payne previously told to PEOPLE that he "always wanted to be a young dad," but it was no easy feat. During a later interview in December 2020, he opened up even more about how he had "to learn" to be a parent over time.

"I had my son at a young age, and you think it will be a magical thing, that you're going to grow up one day into the person you're supposed to be," the singer told PEOPLE at the time. "But it took a lot to find my footing. I figured, Dad takes care of everyone, that's what he does, so my thing was to cook."

Two years later after his split from Cheryl, the "Strip That Down" singer became engaged to model Maya Henry in 2020 before the pair called off their engagement the following year. They later rekindled their relationship and got engaged a second time before ultimately splitting again in May 2022.

At the time of his death, Payne was dating Kate Cassidy, with whom he was first spotted October 2022.

Throughout his career, the singer was also open about his dependency on alcohol, which he said were spurred by his One Direction superstardom. “It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band,” he told Men’s Health Australia in 2019.

“There have been a lot of people in trouble with mental health that aren’t really getting the help that they need, and I think that’s a bit of a problem in our industry,” he continued. “It’s the same s--- that happens to everyone, that’s been happening since the ‘70s. You know what the traps are and if you are lucky enough, like me, to be able to get out of that scenario and back into a sense of normality, then you know it’s a bit different.”

The star’s struggles with alcohol continued, however, and in July 2023 he revealed that was six months sober and had spent almost 100 days in a rehab facility. "I just kind of feel like I've got more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me, I just feel like I've got more of a handle on it," Payne said in a YouTube video titled “I'm Back…”

"I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognize anymore,” he continued. “And I'm sure you guys didn't either. I was in bad shape up until that point and I was really happy to kind of put a stopper to life and work."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.