Former One Direction member Liam Payne dies at age 31

Payne tells heartwarming anecdote about his 7-year-old son in 2023 video

Liam Payne leaves behind his 7-year-old son Bear, whom he shares with former Girls Aloud member and X Factor judge Cheryl Tweedy.  Payne spoke about his love for his son in a candid 2023 video shared on his YouTube channel. "My time with Bear has been really, really amazing," he said in the video. "He's amazing. I mean, he's growing up so fast." In fact, the other day he texted me from his iPad and said, 'Hey, dad, right?'" Payne said. "What? You're 6 years old, what are you doing?!" Payne said. "I tried to make a joke out of it  and wrote 'ello' without the h, and he just said, 'No, no, that's not ello. It's hello with the h.'" "So he's learning so fast. He's probably a lot smarter than me." "Yeah, he's a miracle. But he's definitely learning to talk now. And watching him grow up is so much fun to be around. He's doing great," Payne said of her son.

Photo shows damage inside Payne's Argentina hotel room

Photos provided by police from  Liam Payne's hotel room in Argentina show a broken TV and  debris scattered on the floor. The TV is tilted and has a large crack in the middle of the screen. Hotel staff called police for emergency assistance just before Payne fell, according to an emergency call obtained by our CNN partners. The hotel manager said the guest was "overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol" but staff did not know "whether the guest's life was in danger."

Liam Payne's hometown remembers global superstar who "made a positive impact" on community

Liam Payne, who  died at the age of 31 in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, was born on August 29, 1993 in the English city of Wolverhampton. He was still living in the area when he rose to fame on the British television competition show "X Factor". He first appeared on the show in 2008 at the age of 14, and returned two years later on the advice of Simon Cowell. In a 2021 podcast, "The Diary of a CEO", Payne talked about how he became famous as a teenager in his hometown. "I didn't leave Wolverhampton and I couldn't go anywhere because everyone in Wolverhampton knew who the hell I was," he said. "I can't afford security at the moment." I'm not so special that  I need to take these additives. "I still take the 794A bus to go to my little Christian school," he continued. His alma mater, St. Peter's College Academy, posted a tribute  on Facebook on Thursday, saying staff were "deeply saddened by the sudden death of our former student Liam Payne." During his time at the school, "Liam was not only well-liked by his classmates and teachers, but was also recognized for his talent. He had a positive impact on our school community and his contributions will be remembered," the statement continued. Payne went on to study music technology at Wolverhampton City University, which shared a photo of a young Payne with music-making equipment on its Instagram story on Thursday, writing: "Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Our condolences at this very sad time."

Payne was told to come back in two years after his first audition for X Factor

Liam Payne first wowed British audiences as a starry-eyed 14-year-old  singing Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" during his X Factor audition in 2008. "I should  be concentrating on my  work, but I can't stop thinking about singing," he said before his first audition. Payne, who grew up in Wolverhampton, a city in the English Midlands near Birmingham, spoke  with a strong "Brummie" accent at the time, which faded over the course of his career. Judge Simon Cowell later booted Payne out before a live performance on the series, telling him to focus on his studies and "come back in two years." In 2010, Payne, then 16, returned for a second audition. Later in the series, judge Nicole Scherzinger paired Payne  with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik to form One Direction. The group placed third in the competition and signed with Cowell's record label, and the following year they embarked on their first tour, selling out  many of the 54 venues around the world. One Direction remains one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, having sold more than 70 million records worldwide.

Piecing together Liam Payne's time in Argentina

Liam Payne was spotted attending former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan's concert in Argentina  on October 2. This is evident from the videos posted by the show on social media. They show him clapping along to the music and interacting with fans who are filming him on their  phones. He also posted several videos on social media platform Snapchat. The first photo is captioned "A beautiful day in Argentina" and Payne says "Good morning everyone." In the second short video captioned "Polo Liam Unlocked," he says "Today we're going to ride. We're going to ride." According to the hotel manager, Payne had been staying at Hotel Casa Sur Palermo in Buenos Aires for "a couple of days" at the time of his death.