Liam Payne: Former One Direction star dies in Argentina

Former One Direction star Liam Payne has died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

The 31-year-old singer suffered "extremely serious injuries" after falling from the third floor of a hotel in the capital Buenos Aires, police said.

Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said on Argentinian television that Payne, a father-of-one, fell into a courtyard of the CasaSur Hotel in the city's Palermo neighbourhood.

The official declined to answer questions about how he came to fall from the balcony.

Crescenti said authorities were investigating the circumstances of his death and conducting a post-mortem.

According to TV network Telemundo, police had been called to the hotel to reports of an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Argentinian media reported that Payne was in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan earlier this month.

Fans flocked to the hotel after news of Payne's death broke, with many expressing shock and heartbreak.

"I didn't think he was going to die so young," 21-year-old Isabella Milesi said.

Hernan Palazzo, who works near the hotel, said the neighbourhood was "very shaken up... there's a lot of police, some fans arriving. It is very sad".

Payne had posted on Snapchat in the hours before his death, sharing photos of himself with his partner Kate Cassidy as well as videos in which he said it was a "lovely day here in Argentina".

It appears he filmed the videos earlier in the week and then posted them in his final hours.

"Just enjoying coffee and breakfast, even though it's like 1pm," he said. "Literally sleep in every day until like 12. We're such losers."

The star spoke about "going to ride some horses" and said: "Think I'm going to play polo again which is going to put me out of action for about six weeks."

"It's going to be a nice day," he added.

Payne had embarked on a solo career after One Direction announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus in 2015.

The band was formed on The X Factor in 2010, with Payne alongside Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Harry Styles. They were mentored on the show by Simon Cowell.

Payne has a seven-year-old son called Bear with singer Cheryl, who was a judge on The X Factor. Their relationship began in 2016 but they split in 2018.