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Liam Payne 'Jumped from the Balcony of His Room' Before His Death at 31, Authorities Say

Singer Liam Payne "jumped from the balcony" of his hotel room before his death at 31 on Oct. 16, local authorities told PEOPLE. Police had been called to the scene shortly after 5 p.m. local time and Payne was said to have died shortly afterward.

Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, shared the update — which was also published by the Associated Press — following the One Direction singer's death on Wednesday, Oct. 16. In comments translated from Spanish, Alberto Crescenti (the head of SAME, Buenos Aires' public emergency medical services system), said that Payne suffered "a fracture at the base of the skull" following the fall, per Argentine news channel TN. According to a translated La Nacion transcript, the worker said the musician was intoxicated and presumed he was "under the influence of alcohol and drugs," insisting that someone needed to come "urgently" to the location.

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