The sudden death of former One Direction member Liam Payne shocked the entertainment world, leaving fellow stars devastated, including an artist he once collaborated with on a major project.
Tributes from fellow stars continue to pour in as the entertainment world mourns the loss of Liam Payne, who tragically died at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16.
Music producer Zedd was heartbroken and shared his grief on X (formerly Twitter) even though he couldn’t believe the news.
TV personality and DJ Paris Hilton also expressed sadness as she ended her tweet with “RIP my friend
.”
More musicians honored Payne with heartfelt condolences. Rapper Flavor Flav kept his message short but heartfelt acknowledging that the musician was too young to die.
British DJ and songwriter Jonas Blue also said farewell on the same platform as he posted a picture of himself and Payne.
Anne Twist, Harry Styles’ mother, reacted to Payne’s death with a heartbroken emoji on a black background on Instagram. In her caption, she wrote, “Just a boy … 
.”
Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth shared his heartbreak on his Instagram (IG) Story as he reminisced about the kind of person Payne was to him.
In another IG Story, an upset Puth shared an old photo of him and Payne smiling at each other.
Just weeks before his passing, the late English musician supported Niall Horan by attending the Irish singer and songwriter’s concert on October 3.
Payne was excited to go to the concert and shared a Snapchat photo of Horan performing, captured from the large screen.
In another picture he shared, he captured the audience with their phones held up and the purple-lit stage as he was proud of his friend.
He also shared a backstage photo with Horan, where Payne wore a dark-colored jacket over a light-colored t-shirt while his famous pal sported a striped shirt. Both looked in good spirits.
Before attending Horan’s concert, Payne had celebrated his 31st birthday on August 29. He wrote about his simple wish for the day in a post as he walked alone on the street in a gray hoodie.
While tributes continue to pour in, authorities are still investigating the circumstances of Payne’s tragic death. According to TMZ, Payne fell from the third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.
Earlier that day, hotel staff called emergency services after he was reportedly acting erratically in the lobby, smashing a laptop and needing to be carried back to his room.
Alberto Crescenti, the director of Buenos Aires Emergency Medical Services, told ABC News that emergency services arrived at 5:11 p.m., just a few minutes after the hotel’s call. Unfortunately, there was no possibility of saving Payne, whose identity was only confirmed after he was pronounced dead.
Crescenti added that Payne’s body was found in the hotel’s inner courtyard. He further explained to the local media outlet TN that the singer fell from a height of 13 to 14 meters (42 to 45 feet) and described his injuries as “very serious” and “incompatible with life.”
Before the incident, Payne traveled to Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, for a vacation besides attending Horan’s concert. However, his girlfriend reportedly left on October 14, while Payne remained behind.
With his recent death, Payne is survived by his son, Bear, whom he shares with singer Cheryl Cole. The couple confirmed they were expecting their first child in November 2016, with Bear born in 2017.
In a 2018 interview, Payne discussed the joys and challenges of fatherhood. He said, “I always wanted to be a young dad, but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place.”
Payne also humorously referred to himself as “Dada Montana” as he balanced his music career with being a parent. Before becoming a dad, he gained fame at 16 when he joined the One Direction boy band.
The group was launched on “The X Factor,” alongside Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. Payne played a key role in their global success until the band disbanded in 2015.
The entertainment industry continues to mourn the loss of a beloved artist, with fellow stars remembering his talent and kindness. Our prayers go out to his family and all the fans who loved him.
My Downstairs Neighbor Asked Me to Be Quieter at Night, but I Have Not Been Home for the past Week
When Piper returns from a trip with her friends, she cannot wait to get home to her husband. But as she unpacks her car, a neighbor approaches her, complaining about the noise from her apartment. If Piper wasn’t home, who was Matthew entertaining in her absence?
I had just returned from a blissful week-long camping trip with my friends. It was all about us taking time away from our lives and enjoying being away from the city.
My husband, Matthew, had stayed behind, claiming that he needed to stay at home.
“I have to be home, Piper,” he said when I was packing my bags. “It’s just work responsibilities. There are meetings and presentations coming up.”
“Are you sure?” I asked him. “Why don’t you come along, and then we can find you a place to work in between it all?”
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said. “You go and join the others and have fun. You need some time away from this place.”
He continued to persuade me to go on the trip, and eventually, I gave in.
“If you’re sure, then it’s settled. I’ll go,” I said. “But I’ll meal prep your food for you before I go.”
Two weeks later, I was back home, feeling rejuvenated and happy to be back with my husband.
“I missed you,” I said when I walked into the house.
Matthew was cooking for us, music was playing in the background, and I felt grateful that I could come home to him.
“I’m just going to unpack the car,” I said. “But dinner smells great!”
I went outside and began to unpack my things when our downstairs neighbor, Mrs. Peterson, approached me by the car. Her stern expression made me pause everything.
“Is everything okay?” I asked her, ready to jump at whatever she needed.
“No, Piper,” she said, crossing her arms. “I know that you and your husband are a young couple and stay up until the late hours. But could you try and keep it quiet at night? At least from about nine-thirty. For the past week, I could barely sleep.”
I blinked, taken aback.
“What? Mrs. Peterson, I haven’t been home all week. Are you sure that it was coming from our place?”
The old woman frowned, and I could tell that she was trying to see if I was joking or not.
“Well, someone was making a lot of noise, Piper,” she said. “It sounded like a party every single night.”
I wasn’t sure what I was listening to. I knew that Matthew was a good guy, but we were on the top floor, and there wasn’t anyone living above us.
Was there a possibility that I didn’t know my husband as well as I thought?
I apologized profusely, my mind racing. As soon as she walked away, I rushed upstairs to confront Matthew. I needed to know what Mrs. Peterson was talking about.
If he had been entertaining people, then that was one thing, and it was okay.
But what if he was having an affair?
“Stop it,” I muttered to myself as I stood in the elevator.
I found my husband lounging on the couch, watching TV.
“Matt, we need to talk,” I said, my voice giving me away.
He looked at me, picked up the remote, and switched the TV off.
“What’s wrong, Piper?”
“Mrs. Peterson just complained about noise coming from our apartment every night last week. I wasn’t here, Matthew. What the hell is going on, and who were you making so much noise with?”
My husband’s face paled, and he buried his face in his hands. My heart sank.
There was something about the resignation of his body that made me think that he was guilty. But guilty of what?
Was he simply guilty of having friends over? Or an affair?
“Please, just tell me the truth,” I pleaded, sitting down on the couch across from him.
“I’m not having an affair,” he muttered, barely audible. “And I know that’s what you’re thinking. But I was just ashamed to tell you the truth.”
“What truth? What do you mean? What’s going on?” I asked, the questions hurling themselves at Matthew.
My husband took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes filled with something that I couldn’t understand.
“I lost my job a few months ago, Piper. I didn’t know how to tell you. But I’ve been desperate to make money so that you wouldn’t notice the shortfall. While you were gone, I rented out our apartment to make some money. I stayed at Trent’s place while the apartment was rented out.”
I sighed, the relief and confusion dissipating from my body.
“So, the noise was from the people who rented out the place?” I asked, needing to hear it from him.
He nodded.
“I’m sorry, love,” Matthew said. “I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want you to worry. And I didn’t want you to miss the trip just because of me. I also had an interview during the first week, and I wasn’t about to reschedule it.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me, Matt?” I asked. “We could have figured something out together.”
“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “But I was just scared about letting you down.”
“We’re a team, Matthew,” I said. “You don’t have to face things like these alone. We can deal with this together. That’s what marriage is about.”
My husband smiled and pulled me toward him.
“I understand that now,” he said.
We sat in silence for a while, both trying to figure out the next move. I knew that he would have been trying to find another job, and I didn’t want to ask him a million questions about it.
He would tell me when something came up.
“Come,” he said. “Let’s eat.”
We sat down at the table, and Matthew asked me about the trip.
“Tell me everything,” he said. “Did Liam get drunk and do something stupid?”
“Of course he did!” I laughed as Matthew poured me a glass of wine. “He tried moonshine from some other campers and ended up streaking, running through tents.”
“I bet Sasha wasn’t impressed,” Matthew laughed. “That couple is always disagreeing.”
As we did the dishes together that evening, Matthew sighed and leaned against the counter.
“Thank you for understanding,” he said. “Thank you for not thinking that I was covering up an affair.”
I smiled at my husband, ashamed that I entertained the thought of him having another woman in our home.
“But did you make sure to change the bedding?” I asked him. “I’m not about to sleep in a bed that other people have been in.”
Matthew laughed loudly.
“Our bedroom was locked, darling,” he said. “They only used the guest room.”
Over the next few days, we talked about everything. We spoke about the loss of his job, the financial strain, and our plan moving forward.
“I’m actively looking, Piper,” he said over coffee and toast the next morning. “I’ve set up alerts for job positions that I would fit into. And I’ve cut down on any other unnecessary expenses. This isn’t going to be for long. I can promise you that.”
As for Mrs. Peterson, I went downstairs to her apartment, ready to explain everything.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know about everything Matthew was going through. And he ended up letting our apartment out as an Airbnb for the week, just to make some money off it.”
“Oh, honey,” she said, her eyes softening as she put the kettle on. “It’s okay! I understand it now. I just thought that you two were taking advantage of the situation. But I get it now.”
“Thank you for understanding,” I said. “We just need a minute to get back on our feet.”
Mrs. Peterson faffed around the kitchen, making us some tea.
“Look, Piper,” she said, giving me a plate of biscuits. “I’m here and willing to help you out if you ever need the help.”
It turned out that in her youth, Mrs. Peterson had been through tough times herself and knew how hard it could be to ask for help.
What would you have done?
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