Liam Payne’s boyhood soccer membership pays heartbreaking tribute
- Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died aged 31 in Buenos Aires
- West Brom joined the tributes to the star, a keen supporter of the football club
- Follow all the latest Liam Payne updates with MailOnline after singer’s death
West Bromwich Albion have joined the tributes to One Direction star Liam Payne following his shock death at the age of 31.
Payne died in Buenos Aires after falling from a hotel. Several witnesses said Payne had fallen from his room at the Casa Sur Palmero Hotel shortly after 5pm (ART) Wednesday evening.
The Championship football club shared a tribute on X to the singer, who had previously spoken of his support for the team.
‘We’re shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician, Liam Payne,’ West Brom wrote. ‘Our thoughts are with Liam’s family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time.’
West Brom’s tribute included a photo of the star at one of the team’s matches.
West Brom have joined the tributes for Liam Payne following his death at the age of 31
The Championship club’s tribute included a photo of him watching a match at the Hawthorns
Payne, seen featuring in Soccer Aid in 2023, had spoken of his support for the Championship sie
The club had previously celebrated the birth of his son Bear in 2017 by sending a customised shirt in a bid to get his support
Payne had previously declared he was a ‘huge West Brom supporter’ when he featured in Soccer Aid in 2022, but admitted he ‘I don’t get to the games as often as I’d like though.’
The club had sent Payne a customised West Brom shirt back in 2017, featuring the name of his then newborn son Bear, who he had welcomed with Cheryl Cole weeks earlier.
The shirt was aimed as a bid to earn his support in favour of Newcastle, the hometown club of Cheryl.
The English star rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Harry, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32.
The popstar had reportedly arrived in the Latin American country earlier this month to attend his ex bandmate Horan’s concert.
Local police have since launched an investigation into the sudden death, as tributes flood in the wake of the tragedy.
A statement from local police said they arrived to the hotel after they were ‘informed of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol’.
Officials heard a loud sound in the courtyard before discovering his body just after 5pm, reported the BBC.
According to TMZ, Liam ‘had been acting erratic in the hotel lobby and smashed his laptop’ before he ‘had to be carried back to his room’.
The 31-year-old shot to fame in 2010 on XFactor with former bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, despite initially auditioning separately
He was previously in a relationship with British pop sensation Cheryl Cole and the pair welcomed their son Bear Grey on March 22, 2017
Police had received a call from a worker at the hotel requesting urgent help with an intoxicated guest, according to audio related to the case obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry.
‘When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone,’ the worker said.
Emergency medical services director Alberto Crescenti said Liam had suffered ‘very serious injuries after falling from a third floor into an internal courtyard’.
‘We verified his identity using the passport he had,’ he said.
‘Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.’
In 2008, Liam kickstarted his music career after auditioning on The X Factor when he was just 14-years-old in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue.
Payne’s final Snapchat posts has also been revealed not long after his tragic death which showed him posing with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, only minutes before ‘falling off a balcony’
One image showed both Liam and Kate pausing for a mirror selfie together as well as another post where he looked into the camera and typed, ‘Lovely day in Argentina’
He was cut from the competition series but returned in 2010, and joined Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson to form the boy band, One Direction.
The group won third place on The X Factor and went on to become a global sensation, with hits such as What Makes You Beautiful and Live While We’re Young.
The band released five studio albums, including Up All Night (2011), Midnight Memories (2013) and Made In The A.M. (2015) following Malik’s departure from the group.
In 2016, One Direction went on an infinite hiatus.
As a solo artist, Payne dropped singles such as For You with Rita Ora for the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack.
Over the years, Liam has also battled with health struggles as well as alcoholism and suicidal thoughts.
In 2021, while on the Diary Of A CEO podcast, he opened up about suffering from depression and substance abuse during his time with One Direction.
‘I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it. No one would ever have seen it.’
Over the years, Liam has also battled with health struggles as well as alcoholism and suicidal thoughts; seen in 2021 in London
When host questioned if Liam’s dark thoughts included ‘suicidal ideation,’ the singer said ‘Yes.’
‘Yeah. There is some stuff that I have definitely never, never spoken about. It was really, really, really severe. It was a problem. And it was only until I saw myself after that I was like, “Right, I need to fix myself.”‘
Payne recalled seeing photos of himself looking ‘bloated’ which he labeled as his ‘pills-and-booze face.’
‘My face was just, like, 10 times more than it is now. I just didn’t like myself very much, and then I made a change.’
