Liam Payne had 'difficult time' and 'faced struggles' before tragic death aged 31

One Direction sensation Liam Payne died suddenly at the age of 31 after falling from a third floor hotel balcony in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina

One Direction star Liam Payne "faced struggles" and "had a difficult time" in his final years before his tragic death aged 31.

The pop star died suddenly after falling from a hotel balcony in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local authorities have said they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.

Naga Munchetty and Ben Thompson woke up BBC Breakfast viewers with the heartbreaking news on Thursday (October 17) morning and welcomed BBC's Culture and Media Editor Katie Razzall onto the programme to discuss the singer's untimely passing.

Katie said: "You've got to always feel sorry for the band members that don't reach the heights of fame, often one of them does. You can sort of see it happened a bit with Take That with Robbie Williams going off and then becoming a very successful solo artist. The same, of course, happened to Harry Styles. He just went from strength to strength after leaving One Direction.

"The other band members have toured and had some hits, including Liam Payne. In 2017, he released his single Strip That Down, written by Ed Sheeran, and in fact when the bad split there was a thought he might become a full-time songwriter.

"His debut album came out in 2019 to fairly mixed reviews and then a song he released last year didn't make the charts so he was having a difficult time in the last few years it appears, and he has talked about his struggles with addiction and alcohol."

Tearful fans have been gathering outside the hotel to mourn the singer by lighting candles, singing One Direction songs or holding moments of silence. Stars including Liam Gallagher, X Factor host Dermot O’Leary and TV presenter and former contestant Rylan are among those to have paid tribute.

Anne Twist, the mother of Payne’s former bandmate Harry Styles, wrote on Instagram: "Just a boy." Liam rose to fame while competing on fifth series of The X Factor in 2010, when he was placed in the band One Direction along with Harry, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.

They went on to become one of the world’s most successful boybands, selling 70 million records and performing in stadiums around the world. Liam shared a son, Bear Payne, born in 2017, with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.

BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One at 6am