Liam Payne's Cause of Death Revealed

Liam Payne died suddenly and tragically on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024.

The One Direction singer, 31, reportedly jumped from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It remains unclear if his death was accidental or if he took his own life.

Payne previously revealed that he suffered from suicidal ideation while at the peak of his 1D stardom, explaining on the Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, “I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it. No one would ever have seen it … There is some stuff that I have definitely never, never spoken about. It was really, really, really severe. And it was a problem. And it was only until I saw myself after that, I was like, ‘Right, I need to fix myself.’ “

Find out Liam Payne’s cause of death and his health history before his untimely passing.

Related: Liam Payne’s Family Members Speak Out Following One Direction Member’s Tragic Death

What was the cause of death for Liam Payne?

Payne died after jumping from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, authorities confirmed to PEOPLE. He suffered from internal and external hemorrhaging as a result of his injuries, which included a shattered skull, The Daily Mail reported. Toxicology tests will take more time to determine if Payne was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of his death.

He fell at approximately 5:10 p.m., shortly after hotel staff called emergency services reporting that Payne was behaving erratically and likely under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, according to CNN. TMZ reported that Payne smashed his laptop and had to be carried back to his room from the hotel lobby shortly before he fell.

The 911 caller also reported that Payne had been trashing his room, a claim substantiated by photos obtained by The Daily Mail, which showed a shattered TV screen among other damage and general mess in the luxury suite.

Related: One Direction Members Mourn Liam Payne’s Sudden Death With Touching Tributes

How old was Liam Payne when he died?

Payne was 31 years old at the time of his death. His birthday was Aug. 29, 1993.

Does Liam Payne have kidney disease?

Payne had just one working kidney after being born prematurely.

“When I was born I was effectively dead,” Payne first revealed in the book Dare to Dream — Life as One Direction, released in 2011. “The doctors couldn’t get any reaction from me so I had to be brought round and although it seemed like I was OK, there were underlying problems.”

After years of tests and medical procedures from infanthood until he was about 4 years old, he was finally diagnosed. He explained, “I’ve still got both kidneys but one doesn’t work, so I have to be careful not to drink too much, even water, and I have to keep myself as healthy as possible.”

In August 2012, however, he noted (via J-14) that his non-working kidney had healed and was functioning properly at the time.

Related: All About Liam Payne’s Son Bear

How far did Liam Payne fall?

Payne fell three stories from the balcony of his room on the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.

When did Liam Payne get sober?

Like most people battling addiction, recovery wasn’t a straight line for Payne—and that’s normal and nothing for which to be shamed.

Payne said he began drinking as a means of coping with the microscope of fame during the early days of One Direction stardom. On the Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, he revealed that he and his bandmates were often relegated to their respective hotel rooms alone and turned to the minibars as a means of getting by.

“Luckily for me at those times [when I was drinking], I had the best people around me to make me realize different points in my life where I could be better,” he told USA Today in 2019, adding that becoming a father to son Bear motivated him to get healthy. “Obviously, having kids completely changes the mindset around everything you do.”

He said at the time that he was learning to drink in moderation.

“As you get older, hangovers become a completely different thing. There’s that age-old saying, ‘I’ll just have one,’ but you never really know,” he admitted. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you do make a mistake or the night does go a little too far. As long as I can get my job done the next day at a capable level I’m happy with, I can just write that one off as a lesson and go, ‘I won’t do that again.’ I still like to go out and enjoy myself.”

In July 2023, Payne revealed that he’d been to rehab in Louisiana for 100 days after an appearance on Logan Paul‘s podcast, on which he insulted his prior work with his bandmates and was reportedly inebriated.

Payne said he’d been sober for six months and that he was onstage performing in Dubai when he realized he wanted to get clean.

“It’s good to be in this position. I definitely don’t need those things anymore,” he said of drugs and alcohol. “Party’s over.”

Related: Liam Payne’s Net Worth From One Direction and Solo Stardom

Why did Liam Payne go to the hospital?

Payne was hospitalized in 2023 for a kidney infection.

“It’s with a heavy heart I have to tell you that we have no other choice but to postpone my upcoming tour of South America,” he tweeted in August 2023. “Over the past week I’ve been in hospital with a serious kidney infection, it’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and doctors orders are that I now need to rest and recover.”

Paramedics were called to the scene of his Buenos Aires hotel before he fell to his death, but didn’t make it in time to save his life.

Related: Remembering the Stars and Legends We’ve Lost In 2024