DINH DOONG

The manager’s tone grew more urgent during the call, mentioning that the room had a balcony. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical service, told Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV that authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death and conducting an autopsy. Payne had been open about his struggles with alcohol addiction and shared a video on his YouTube channel in July 2023, where he revealed that he had been sober for six months following treatment. Payne’s representatives have yet to respond to requests for comment. Following the news, dozens of One Direction fans gathered at the Casa Sur Hotel, forming long lines that stretched down the street, which was cordoned off by police. Forensic investigators were seen leaving the hotel, and Payne’s body was removed about three hours after the fall. Fans, many of them young women, filmed the scene with their phones, expressing shock and grief. Outside the hotel, an impromptu memorial quickly emerged, complete with candles and flowers. “I never thought he’d die so young,” said Isabella Milesi, 21, one of the fans present. Payne was one of the five original members of One Direction, a group formed after auditioning for the British singing competition “The X Factor” in 2010. Two years earlier, Payne had attempted to join the show but didn’t succeed. During his second audition at age 16, he performed Michael Bublé’s “Cry Me a River,” initially nervous but gradually warmed by the audience’s applause. After each member failed to progress as solo contestants, Simon Cowell and fellow judges decided to unite Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson into a new group that became one of the most successful boy bands in history, despite losing the competition.