Death of ex-One Direction member Liam Payne at 31 sends shockwaves around the world

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Shockwaves spread around the world Thursday at the death of Liam Payne, who shot to stardom as a member of British boy band O...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Shockwaves spread around the world Thursday at the death of Liam Payne, who shot to stardom as a member of British boy band One Direction and had to deal with intense global fame while still in his teens.

Fans, music-industry figures and fellow musicians paid tribute to Payne, 31, who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Buenos Aires police said Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital on Wednesday, resulting in "extremely serious injuries.” Medics confirmed his death on the spot, the police said in a statement.

Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, said in a statement to The Associated Press that Payne "had jumped from the balcony of his room.”