DJ Joel Corry has opened up about meeting Liam Payne for the first time just minutes after learning of the One Direction star’s shock death on Australian radio.
The former One Direction singer died instantly from multiple injuries including a fractured skull when he fell 45ft from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony.
The 31-year-old star plunged from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina’s capital yesterday afternoon, before medics confirmed his death.
Minutes before English producer Joel, 35, was due to appear on the Kyle and Jackie O show on Thursday, news broke of the singer’s death, leaving Joel in shock.
‘I just heard, I’m in shock,’ he told KIIS FM radio host Jackie O Henderson.
The Head and Heart hitmaker then recounted his first meeting with Liam at the charity football match Soccer Aid in 2023.
‘I played Soccer Aid with him, which is like a charity football match in the UK,’ Joel revealed.
He added that he got to know the singer as they were playing on the same side, remembering Liam as a ‘really nice guy’ in a heartfelt tribute.
DJ Joel Corry has opened up about meeting Liam Payne for the first time just minutes after learning of the One Direction star’s shock death on Australian radio
Sharing his shock over the singer’s death, English DJ Joel has recounted his first meeting with Liam when they both took part in Soccer Aid in 2023 (Liam is pictured during the match)
‘We spent a few days together because he was playing with me, and it was the first time I’d ever met him,’ he said.
‘He was so fun on the trip, and we had such a good time and we hung out together. And he was a really nice guy.
Joel then said of learning of Liam’s death: ‘And this is why when I heard the news just now, I couldn’t believe it took my breath away. I was like, oh my god.’
Soccer Aid is an annual charity event that has raised more than £106million in aid of UNICEF UK.
The event is an exhibition-style football match between two teams, England and the Soccer Aid World XI.
In 2023, Joel and Liam played on the England team alongside the likes of actors Asa Butterfield and Tom Hiddleston and long distance runner Mo Farah.
Paying tribute to Liam, Joel went on to speak about the pressure in the music industry and how the tragedy had reinforced his own desire to be surrounded by ‘good people’ in his life.
‘There’s a lot of pressure in the music industry,’ he said.
Joel explained that he got to know the One Direction singer as they were playing on the same side, remembering Liam as a ‘really nice guy’ in a sweet tribute
‘It is a very, very tough industry and it can really take a toll on you. I think, just, that’s why it’s so important to have good people around you that can keep you grounded.
‘And I know that, Liam, there was a lot of ups and downs on his journey, and this news is just shocking. And honestly, I send love to his family and everyone.’
It comes as:
Liam reportedly fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos, Argentina, on Wednesday around 5pm (ART).
A crowd of emotional fans have since come together to pay their respects to the pop star outside the hotel.
Police in Buenos Aires said they were initially responding to a 911 call ‘of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol’.
Officials heard a loud sound in the courtyard before discovering his body just after 5pm, reported the BBC.
According to TMZ, Liam ‘had been acting erratic in the hotel lobby and smashed his laptop’ before he ‘had to be carried back to his room’.
Police had received a call from a worker at the hotel requesting urgent help with an intoxicated guest, according to audio related to the case obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry.
The singer (pictured in March 2022) died instantly from multiple injuries including a fractured skull when he fell 45ft from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony
A crowd of emotional fans have since come together to pay their respects to the pop star outside the hotel
‘When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone,’ the worker said.
City ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti said Liam had fallen about 40 metres and suffered ‘severe injuries which were incompatible with life’.
He said: ‘The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.
‘At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.
‘Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.’
Liam made his final post to social media in May, in which he posted a photo of One Direction with the late American filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who died on May 23, and thanked him for directing the 1D This Is Us documentary.
The star’s loyal fan base had raised their concerns for the troubled star, following a series of concerning displays including an erratic red carpet appearance, shock hospitalisation, cancelled gigs and rambling videos.
