One Direction Singer Liam Payne Dead after Falling from Buenos Aires Hotel Balcony

FILE - One Direction members, from right, Liam Payne and Harry Styles perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - One Direction members, from right, Liam Payne and Harry Styles perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
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One Direction Singer Liam Payne Dead after Falling from Buenos Aires Hotel Balcony

FILE - One Direction members, from right, Liam Payne and Harry Styles perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - One Direction members, from right, Liam Payne and Harry Styles perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after the 31-year-old fell from his third-floor room balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine police said on Wednesday.
Police said in a statement that they were called to the CasaSur hotel in the capital's leafy Palermo neighborhood after being notified of an "aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol", reported Reuters.
When they arrived, the hotel manager reported he had heard a loud noise from the inner courtyard and the police found that a man had fallen from the balcony of his room, the statement said.
In audio related to the case obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry, a worker can be heard asking for police help.
"When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone," the worker said, adding that the guest's life was at risk because the room had a balcony.
Shooting to global fame as part of one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, Payne - like his band mates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson - went on to pursue a solo career after they went on an "indefinite hiatus" in 2016. Payne's last single was "Teardrop", released in March this year.
While many of the details surrounding the circumstances of his death remain unclear, Payne had spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and using alcohol to cope with the pressures of fame.
His death led to an outpouring of grief from music industry stars and fans, including those among the crowd who gathered outside the hotel.
Violeta Antier said she had come straight away after being told 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 attended an Oct. 2 concert by Horan in Buenos Aires. The two had posted videos together and with fans.
American singer Charlie Puth was among those expressing their grief.
"I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me," he said on Instagram. "He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone."
Payne auditioned for the British version of X Factor for a second time in 2010 at the age of 16 and was put into a group with his future band mates by music mogul Simon Cowell.
Cowell told Rolling Stone in a 2012 interview that he'd "always backed" Payne at the time of his first audition in 2008 but he didn't quite make it because he had been too young.
"But I always knew that with confidence he would be a valuable member of this band, so I had no hesitation in bringing him back," he said.
The band may have finished third in X Factor that year but it went on to have more than 29 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 with six in the top 10, including "What Makes You Beautiful", "Story of My Life" and "Live While We're Young".
Payne's co-writing credits include "Story of My Life" and "Night Changes".
He teamed up with Rita Ora on the 2018 song "For You" and released his first studio album LP1 in 2019.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Payne's One Direction and solo career helped garner him a net worth of some $70 million.
Payne had a son named Bear with British TV personality and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
Last year, he published a video to fans on his YouTube channel in which he spoke about his family, making new art and performing again after having given up alcohol. He thanked supporters for sticking with him through difficult times.
Earlier on Wednesday, Payne had appeared to post on Snapchat about his trip in Argentina, talking about riding horses, playing polo, and looking forward to returning home to see his dog.
"It's a lovely day here in Argentina," he said in the video.

 



Schwarzenegger Tells Environmentalists Dismayed by Trump to ‘Stop Whining’ and Get to Work 

US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
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Schwarzenegger Tells Environmentalists Dismayed by Trump to ‘Stop Whining’ and Get to Work 

US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a message for environmentalists who despair at the approach of President Donald Trump's administration: “Stop whining and get to work.”

The new US administration has taken an ax to Biden-era environmental ambitions, rolled back landmark regulations, withdrawn climate project funding and instead bolstered support for oil and gas production in the name of an “American energy dominance” agenda.

Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, has devoted time to environmental causes since leaving political office in 2011.

He said Tuesday he keeps hearing from environmentalists and policy experts lately who ask, “What is the point of fighting for a clean environment when the government of the United States says climate change is a hoax and coal and oil is the future?”

Schwarzenegger told the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, an event he helps organize, that he responds: “Stop whining and get to work.”

He pointed to examples of local and regional governments and companies taking action, including his own administration in California, and argued 70% of pollution is reduced at the local or state level.

“Be the mayor that makes buses electric; be the CEO who ends fossil fuel dependence; be the school that puts (up) solar roofs," he said.

“You can't just sit around and make excuses because one guy in a very nice White House on Pennsylvania Avenue doesn't agree with you,” he said, adding that attacking the president is “not my style” and he doesn't criticize any president when outside the US.

“I know that the people are sick and tired of the whining and the complaining and the doom and gloom,” Schwarzenegger said. “The only way we win the people's hearts and minds is by showing them action that makes their lives better.”