Charlie Puth, Zedd, more celebs pay tribute to Liam Payne

The music world was left speechless Wednesday as news traveled from Buenos Aires that former One Direction band member Liam Payne had died outside a hotel in the Argentine capital.
Payne, who was one-fifth of the British boy band, was found dead after falling from his third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur hotel in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. In a statement, the capital police said they were called to the hotel where they were notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol.” He was confirmed dead at the scene following “extremely serious injuries” from the fall, per reports.
Payne rose to global fame as part of the since-disbanded pop band One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. He was also father to a 7-year-old child, Bear, whom he shared with British singer Cheryl Cole.
Tributes poured in from members of One Direction’s circle as well as Charlie Puth, Paris Hilton and more celebrities following the news of the 31-year-old’s death.
Harry Styles mom, Anne Twist, took to Instagram to react to news of Payne’s death. She screenshot a heartbreak emoji and captioned the image with “Just a boy … 💔.”
Dan Richards, who played guitar for the band, expressed shock in his Instagram Story.
“This all feels so surreal. Thanks to everyone reaching out, still trying to wrap my head around it all. My thoughts go out to (Liam’s) family at this time,” he wrote.
“I am in shock right now,” Puth wrote on Instagram, recalling “Liam was always so kind to me.”
“He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone…,” he wrote. The 32-year-old singer-songwriter also shared a video of the two laughing together and wrote, “I’m so upset right now, may he rest in peace.”
Payne auditioned twice for the U.K. reality program “The X-Factor” before being launched into superstardom. He advanced after auditioning in 2008 and 2010 and was cut both times.
However, in 2010, he was saved from elimination when Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh folded him into a band with fellow teen solo artists Styles, Horan, Tomlinson and Malik.
It’s OK to grieve.Liam Payne’s death is especially difficult for Gen Z and millennials.
After their first single “What Makes You Beautiful” became a worldwide hit, the group released their debut album “Up All Night.” As they released four more records, they sold out arenas and stadiums around the world during the four headlining tours and scored Top 10 hits including “Story of My Life,” “Best Song Ever” and “Drag Me Down.”
The band took an indefinite hiatus in 2016 following the release of their fifth album, “Made in the A.M.” All members, including Malik, who left the group in March 2015, went on to pursue solo careers.
According to Reuters reporters at the scene, crowds − including fans − began gathering outside the hotel, where dozens of police and emergency services teams had cordoned off an area as night fell on the city.
One 25-year-old fan, Yamila Zacarias, said her family had made a lot of effort so she could see One Direction when they came to Argentina, but she had decided not to go as her parents didn’t have much money then.
“He meant a lot to me because the band came into my life at this time when you’re trying to be a part of something, and being a One Direction fan became that something for me,” she said. “This was the only time I could applaud him.”
Violeta Antier, another fan, told Reuters she had come straight away after he sister told her Payne had died.
“I saw him two weeks ago at a Niall (Horan) concert, another One Direction member. He was there, I saw him,” she said. “He was ok.”
Payne had on Oct. 2 attended the Buenos Aires concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan on the Argentine leg of a Latin American tour that spanned Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia. The two posted videos together and with fans.
Paris Hilton joined the memorials posted online following the news of the singer’s death.
In a post on X, she wrote it was “so upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing😢” She continued: “Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. 🙏 RIP my friend.”
One Direction’s former hairdresser Lou Teasdale also paid tribute, writing, “Sending you all so much love.”
Zedd, who collaborated on Payne’s “Get Low,” mourned the British musician on X, writing: “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking.”
Other artists expressing condolences on social media included Ty Dolla $ign, Juicy J, Flavor Flav and several former “X-Factor” contestants, among others. See their posts below:
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY; Sarah Morland, Brendan O’Boyle and Anthony Esposito in Mexico City, Eliana Raszewski, Agustin Marcarian and Adam Jourdan in Buenos Aires and William James in London, Reuters
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.