Liam Payne's 'heartbroken' family share tribute after pop star's hotel death

Liam Payne's family paid tribute to the pop star following his death after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina Wednesday.

LONDON — Liam Payne's family paid tribute to the pop star following his death after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina Wednesday.

"We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul," the Payne family said in a short statement to the London-based Press Association news agency. "We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."

Payne, 31, died after a hotel receptionist called 911 to report that a distressed guest who was intoxicated with drinks and drugs was "breaking the whole room."

Staff inside the hotel where Liam Payne died after falling from a third floor balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.Luciano Gonzalez / Anadolu via Getty ImagesPayne rose to fame in 2010 as part of the five-member boy band One Direction, which was formed on the British talent show "X Factor." The group didn't win that season of the show, finishing in third place, but it was enough to secure a record deal with Syco Records, run by "X Factor" judge Simon Cowell.

The band became phenomenally successful: One Direction is the first band to see its first four albums debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200. One Direction's 2014 tour to support their "Midnight Memories" album made $290 million, the highest-grossing tour of the year.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/liam-payne-death-family-tributes-rcna175867

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