Eerie lyrics predicted Payne’s tragic end

The British singer, who leaves behind his child, Bear, whom he shares with British pop icon Cheryl Tweedy (formerly Cole), died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, officials said on Wednesday 16 October.

The news left fans and Payne’s celebrity pals around the world stunned, and there has since been an outpouring of grief as officials investigate whether his death was accidental.

After he left One Direction, Payne spent years working on his debut album, which would end up being his only solo release.

One of the tracks featured on the record, Live Forever, was eventually made a single in 2020 and became one of the star’s handful of final official releases.

Eerily, the track seemingly hinted at Payne’s life being cut heartbreakingly short, and suggests he was aware of such a fate.

“I was always gonna live fast, die young,” sings the star on the track. “Burn bright, burn out”.

“Reckless, restless, I let it get so hectic. All the way up with my head in the sky, too much, too gone, too many, too fun.”

While the track sadly failed to chart upon its release, it’s quickly found new life among fans in the wake of Payne’s death.The British singer, 31, is understood to have fallen from the third floor of a hotel around 5pm, local time.

 

His body was found in the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood, surrounded by tables and chairs.

Alberto Crescenti, head of the Buenos Aires’ public emergency medical services, confirmed the star’s death, saying he fell around 14 metres, suffering “very serious injuries incompatible with life”.

“At 17:04, through 911, the integrated public security system, we were alerted about a person who was in an internal courtyard of the Casa Sur hotel. At 17:11, a team arrived and confirmed the man’s death,” he said.

“We later learned that he was a singer in a musical group. Unfortunately, he had injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall, so we had to confirm his death. There was no possibility of resuscitation.

Payne shot to fame in 2011 after appearing on the X-Factor where he become a member of hit boy band One Direction with Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan.