"Just a Boy": Harry Style's mum Anne Twist three-word tribute for Liam Payne after tragic death at 31

Sharing a heart-wrenching photo of a broken heart emoji on her Instagram, Anne Twist captioned it simply, "Just a boy..." as fans and fellow celebrities expressed their shock and grief.

Payne fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday night (October 16). Authorities have launched a full investigation and autopsy into the circumstances of his passing. The hotel where Payne was staying has not released a statement, but reports indicate that Payne fell from a significant height, leading to his untimely death.

Tributes flooded in from around the world, with TV network MTV stating, "We’re deeply saddened to learn of Liam Payne’s tragic passing today. During this difficult time, our hearts remain with his family, loved ones, and fans."

Payne, rose to fame as part of the globally successful boyband One Direction formed in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles. After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019 which included the singles Polaroid and Familiar. He and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl share a son Bear, born in 2017, having been in a high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.

The singer is reported to have fallen from his room in the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in the Argentine capital. Witnesses have told TMZ that the tragic incident occurred just after 5pm local time, and that it came after the pop star was seen behaving erratically in the lobby of the hotel earlier in the day.

The singer attended one of Niall Horan's concerts in Argentina in recent weeks, and the former bandmates actually reunited during the show.

The Strip That Down hitmaker once admitted that his lifestyle became a "cause for concern." Reflecting on his early years, he told the BBC: "When I was younger, I went straight in on the whisky. I tend to pick my poison early, then I stick with it until it bores me."

He also confessed to enduring some "very dark years" as he battled personal demons. He said: “There were a couple of very dark years of me going through extreme peril with different mental health things.”

Tributes from fellow celebrities and musicians have since flooded in for the star, who described his death as “shocking”.