Liam Payne apologized for ‘stupid’ photo on building ledge 10 years before fatal fall from hotel balcony
Liam Payne pulled off an alarming high-rise stunt a decade before falling to his death from his hotel balcony Wednesday.
Following the news of his untimely death, a chilling photo resurfaced of the former One Direction band member teetering on a ledge of his 34-floor East London apartment building in 2014.
The image shows Payne standing dangerously close to the edge of a narrow terrace that he may have accessed from his unit’s balcony.
The UK-born musician wore jeans and a flannel shirt as he conducted the scary stunt at nightfall.
The snap, taken the same night of bandmate Zayn Malik’s 21st birthday, was shared online by one of Payne’s friends at the time but swiftly deleted.
Payne was then forced to issue an apology on Twitter, now known as X, after fans raised concerns.
“You may have seen a photo of me today taken on top of a building. I regret being there and having a photo taken,” he wrote on Jan. 14, 2014.
The eerie throwback image made the rounds again on social media after Payne tumbled to his death from his third-floor hotel room in Argentina on Wednesday. He was 31.
A spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality, Pablo Policicchio, told the Associated Press that Payne had “thrown himself from the balcony of his room” at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.
Prior to the incident, cops had been called to the scene after receiving a complaint that the pop star was acting unruly in the lobby. Eyewitnesses claimed he smashed his laptop and had to be removed by staffers.
The hotel manager then heard a thud, leading officers to discover Payne’s body in the courtyard.
Buenos Aires medical services director Alberto Crescenti confirmed Payne could not be revived by first responders after suffering a skull fracture.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” Crescenti said.
“Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death,” the doctor added.
Crescenti would not confirm whether Payne was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and noted that conclusions should not be made until the autopsy report is completed.
Payne, who struggled for years with substance abuse and mental health issues, had been vacationing in Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
The couple arrived for their trip on Sept. 30 and both attended the Buenos Aires concert of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan on Oct. 2.
However, Cassidy fled the country Monday, and Payne subsequently checked into the CasaSur Palermo Hotel alone.
The late artist rose to fame in 2010 when Payne, Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik formed their pop group on “The X Factor.”
However, the band broke up in 2016.
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole.
