Liam Payne's cause of death revealed after fall from third-floor balcony at Buenos Aires hotel

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne died instantly from multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, after falling 45 feet from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

The 31-year-old star fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina's capital city, where medics later confirmed his death.

Alberto Crescenti, head of Buenos Aires emergency services, stated that Payne had sustained a "cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death."

Crescenti also told TN television that paramedics found Payne deceased upon arrival at 5 p.m. local time (9 p.m. UK time), adding, "Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life."

Emergency services confirmed Payne's identity by checking his passport, but police have not yet determined the exact circumstances of his fall.

Payne fell from a third-floor suite that had a balcony overlooking an interior pool and the Michelin-star restaurant on-site, landing in the courtyard.

Late last night, forensic police officers examined the room and balcony while colleagues set up a red tent at the spot where Payne was found.

The courtyard where Payne fell is located next to the pool and outdoor seating area of the hotel's plant-based Sarco restaurant. No diners were present at the time, as the restaurant was closed between lunch and dinner service.

Payne had arrived in Argentina earlier in the month for ex-bandmate Niall Horan’s concert, accompanied by his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, who left two days before the incident.

Around that time, Payne’s ex-fiancée Maya Henry had her lawyers issue a cease-and-desist letter, accusing him of repeatedly contacting her.

Payne gained fame at 16 when he joined the boy band One Direction on The X Factor in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles.

A hotel receptionist made a distress call to request "urgent" assistance after Payne began acting erratically and was escorted back to his room.

The worker made two calls, saying in the first, "We have a guest who's off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come."

The receptionist made a second call after the line went dead, saying, "I don't know if the guest's life is in danger. The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something."

Local media reported that Payne had been "acting erratically in the hotel lobby and smashed his laptop" before "he had to be carried back to his room."

Moments later, the employee, identified as Esteban, added, "Just send an ambulance, only an ambulance." Workers then heard a loud noise in the courtyard, and Payne’s body was discovered shortly after 5 p.m. local time (9 p.m. UK time).