Introduction: LIAM PAYNEONE

3:33 PM PT — Sources close to
the situation tell TMZ … 
Liam Payne and his
girlfriend Kate Cassidy arrived in
Argentina on September 30,
posting several social media posts
together showing them
having fun on vacation. We’re told she left
Argentina on the 14th. Liam stayed behind, and
checked into the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.

We’re told someone at the hotel called 911 to report an
“aggressive” male at
the hotel today … which lines up with
what witnesses
told us about Liam’s behavior in
the lobby.

Liam Payne is dead
after a fall from
his hotel
balcony in Argentina …
TMZ has learned.

The former One Direction
singer died
Wednesday evening. Several witnesses at the hotel
where he was staying in Buenos Aires tell us Liam fell from his room on the 3rd
floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. We do not know if it was intentional or accidental.

TMZ has seen a photo showing.
Liam’s body on
the deck at the hotel with tables
and chairs nearby. You can clearly see
his tattoos — a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion
on his abdomen — which helped us
confirmearly reports from
witnesses.

We’re told this
happened shortly
after 5 PM in
Buenos Aires, and that Liam had
been acting erratic in the hotel
lobby earlier —
he smashed his laptop,
and had
to be carried back to his room.

Police and other first responders
are all around the hotel now …
and authorities have put
up a red tent over the
body as they begin their investigation
into Liam’s death.

He had been in
Argentina recently
for a Niall Horan concert earlier
in the month, and the 1D
bandmates
actually
reunited at the show.

Liam was only 16 years old
when he joined One Direction …
and the group became the
biggest boyband in the
world after their 2010
launch on “The X Factor.”
The band ultimately
broke up in 2015,
and he was considered one
of their main songwriters

As we reported … Liam revealed
in June 2021 that he 
struggled with alcohol and
prescription drug
addictions at one point when One Direction was on tour,
and things got so
bad he had “severe” suicidal thoughts.

Earlier this week,
there were reports about
Liam’s ex-fiancée Maya Henry 
alleging he’d left her after
asking her to get an abortion.
Her attorneys had been
trying to send him a cease-and-desist letter to
stop contacting her.