Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead outside a hotel in Buenos Aires after the 31-year-old fell from his third-floor room balcony, Argentine police said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the capital police said they were called to the hotel in the capital's leafy Palermo neighborhood where they were notified of an "aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol."

The hotel manager said he heard a loud noise at the back of the hotel, and when police arrived they found that a man had fallen over the balcony in his room, the statement said.

Emergency workers confirmed the death of the British singer, who was reportedly found in the hotel's interior patio.

Payne rose to global fame as part of the since-disbanded pop band One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

The boy band got its start after finishing third on the British version of the X Factor music competition show in 2010, but the group broke up in 2016 as its members pursued different projects including solo careers.

Payne had earlier this month attended the concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan in Buenos Aires. Payne has been open in the media about struggling with addiction and spending time in a rehabilitation facility.

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