Liam Payne fans were reminded of a wild story from his visit to Australia after news of his shocking death emerged on Wednesday night.
The former One Direction star, 31, allegedly fell from the third floor of a hotel in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, according to TMZ.
During a visit to Australia in 2013, a fan broke into the private home where Liam was staying with his bandmates Niall Horin, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles and left with a pair of his underwear.
A witness told the Daily Telegraph at the time that she saw six girls and an eight-year-old boy jump over a door to enter Payne’s Palm Beach apartment.
‘They are Calvin Klein underwear. They only took the underwear. “They wanted to take a wetsuit but someone bought it inside,” he said.
When asked about his craziest experiences as a fan on Fitzy and Wippa’s NOVA radio show in 2014, Liam revealed that trip was “the worst to Australia.”
“I always had Australia in mind as a place I’d like to move to if things got too crazy,” he told hosts Ryan Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli.
‘But when we first arrived in Australia I didn’t expect it to be as crazy as it was.
Liam Payne fans were reminded of a wild story from his visit to Australia after news of his sudden death emerged on Wednesday night.
‘I think Australia and South America are the two craziest places we visited.
“I love Australia, I love the atmosphere, so relaxed, I really like it, but it’s too crazy for us now.”
Fans around the world are in mourning after hearing the shocking news of Payne’s death on Wednesday.
Local media reported that Payne fell from his room at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Emergency services are believed to be present outside the hotel, where a red tent has been set up on site.
Investigations into the death of the 31-year-old man are ongoing.
Spokesman for the city’s ambulance service, Alberto Crescenti, said he had fallen about 40 meters and suffered “serious injuries that were incompatible with life.”
During a visit to Australia in 2013, a fan broke into the private home where Liam was staying with his bandmates Niall Horin, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles and took a pair of his underwear.
He said: ‘The alarm was raised at 5:04 pm local time saying that a person was lying in an internal courtyard of Casa Sur.
‘At 5:11 pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.
‘Later we discovered that he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately, the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.’
The Night Changes singer had been spotted attending his former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert in the country earlier this month.
Payne initially auditioned for the X Factor in 2008, when she was just 14, and impressed the judges with her own version of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon.
However, he gave his singing career another chance by auditioning for the competition again in 2010, where he quickly rose to fame as part of One Direction.
He and his former bandmates Niall, Zayn, Harry and Louis were brought together by Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger, who saw their potential as a group.
Payne (second from right) poses with members of his band One Direction, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson in 2011.
After a few weeks of getting to know each other and rehearsing non-stop, the group impressed Simon at their audition for Judge’s Houses and moved on to the live shows.
Pop Svengali later admitted to Rolling Stone that it took him “about a millionth of a second” to spot the group’s global potential.
Fan reaction was also instant, and 1D’s hysteria soon overshadowed the show. Despite the adoration, the band eventually finished third on the X Factor, but soon after Cowell sealed their fate by signing all five to a £2 million Syco contract.
Eager to capitalize on the boys’ already devoted fan base, Cowell moved quickly with recording the band’s debut album beginning in January 2011.
In September of that year, One Direction’s first single was released, with What Makes You Beautiful reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, after becoming Sony Music Entertainment’s most pre-ordered single in history.
Their debut album, Up All Night, was also a bestseller, becoming the best-selling debut album in the UK in 2011, and the record led to their first tour which began in the UK in December.
After Malik announced his departure from the band in 2015, the band went their separate ways.
Local media reported Wednesday night that Payne had fallen from his room at the Hotel CasaSur Palmero shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
During their time as a band, One Direction won five Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, racked up over three billion YouTube views and sold 50 million records worldwide.
After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boy bands of all time, Liam released his first solo album titled LP1 in 2019.
His single Strip That Down co-written with Ed Sheeran rose to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.
Throughout her music career, the pop star collaborated with artists such as J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
He was previously in a relationship with British pop sensation Cheryl Cole and the couple welcomed their son Bear Gray on March 22, 2017.
MailOnline has contacted Liam Payne’s representatives for comment.
In the photo: The CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires where Payne died.
There has been an outpouring of tributes online, with former XFactor contestant Jedwad writing: ‘RIP Liam Payne. Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.’
They added: ‘Sending strength to Cheryl and her son Bear, and the entire One Direction family.’
Paris Hilton wrote: “Very upsetting to hear the news of Liam Payne’s passing. Sending love and condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP my friend.
Stephen Bartlett wrote: “I can’t believe what I’m reading about Liam Payne. Absolutely heartbreaking.”
MTV released the following tribute: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Liam Payne today. During this difficult time, our hearts remain with his family, his loved ones and his fans.”
The Brit Awards said: “We are incredibly saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Liam Payne. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this time.”
Spotify also added: ‘We are deeply saddened by the news of Liam Payne’s passing. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the many fans who loved and supported him.”