Local authorities, in a statement to The Associated Press (AP), shared that Payne jumped from his hotel balcony which resulted in “extremely serious injuries.” Officials say the autopsy report revealed that Payne had a popular drug known as “pink cocaine” in his system, along with other illegal substances, which caused his erratic behavior the night of his death. Payne first rose to stardom in 2010, at 16 after he was a contestant in British singing competition “X-Factor” and was placed in boy band, One Direction along with Harry Styles, Louis Tomilson, Nial Horan and Zayn Malik.

The group released five studio albums in the span of six years and rose to global fame with hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Best Song Ever,” “Night Changes,” and “Story of my Life.”

Throughout the years, the group acquired 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, four MTV Video Music Awards, two Brit Awards, five American Music Awards and four Billboard Music Awards.

Payne launched his solo career in 2017 after One Direction’s hiatus in 2016. He released his first song “Strip That Down” which surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify and charted Billboard Hot 100.

He later released his debut EP in 2018 entitled “First Time,” later an album “LP1” in 2019, and a second EP “Midnight Hour” in 2020.

Payne had arrived in Argentina earlier this month to attend former band member, Nial Horan’s, concert Oct. 2.

After the news of his passing, AP reported that dozens of fans showed up to Casa Sur Hotel where Payne was staying to pay their respects.

Payne is survived by his son, parents, and older sisters and will be missed by many fans that had followed his career.

 Ximena Cordero is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]