Everyone on the planet suddenly knew his face: Liam Payne was just 16 when his life changed forever

Fans around the world have been left shocked by the news that Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of his hotel room in Argentina.

In his short years, Payne lived an extraordinary life.

Hailing from Wolverhampton, a city near Birmingham in the UK, he went on to find fame in One Direction, with the group consisting of Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.

READ MORE: One Direction star Liam Payne dies aged 31: reports

The late star auditioned twice for The X Factor UK before hitting the big time, once in 2008 and again in 2010. But it was his latter audition at the age of 16 that changed his life forever.

Payne auditioned by singing a cover of Michael Bublé's Cry Me A River, which blew the judges away. The panel that year included music mogul Simon Cowell, Natalie Imbruglia and Cheryl, who would be his future partner.

Baby-faced Payne showed off his incredible talent during his audition, getting cheers from the crowd and a standing ovation from Cowell and Natalie Imbruglia.

During the audition, he spoke about his last stint on the show and getting turned down by Cowell. "I do think Simon did the right thing, because I was really young and wasn't ready. And now I'm back and ready to give it another shot," he said.

READ MORE: Liam Payne's devastating final social media post

Cowell replied: "Good for you, I'm glad you've come back."

He went on to praise Payne and said he was a star in the making. "You're 16 and that was extraordinary. The confidence, swagger, the charisma, believability, the voice, you way you look, absolutely on the money."

Soon after, the boys from One Direction were put together into a boyband on the show and placed third, before signing to Simon Cowell's company, Syco Entertainment.

What followed was worldwide success and a number of hit singles for the young group, including hits like What Makes You Beautiful and Live While We're Young, selling records in the millions.

And it was a lot different to what he was used to.

Payne previously told Boogie and Arlene on Clyde 1 that he did some work experience in his teenage years at a factory where his dad worked.

"Either end up in this factory or I can do this. I went there for two weeks and that was the only real experience I have of being a blue collar worker I've ever actually had," he said.

Payne said in a previous interview with The Sun that he struggled a bit with fame as he found success with the boyband.

READ MORE: Stars pay tribute to One Direction star Liam Payne who has died aged 31

"Going out and putting that happy smile on my face and singing the songs, honestly, sometimes it was like putting on one of those costumes, going out there and, underneath the costume, people don't really see what's going on," he said back in 2017.

One Direction caused mass hysteria and pandemonium. Speaking about the group's hiatus, he added to The Sun: ''We needed a realisation point to find the love for it again, rather than it just becoming a job."

Soon, the group announced a hiatus in 2016 and the boys explored their own solo music ventures.

Payne went on to find success as a solo artist, and released songs including Strip That Down featuring Quavo and For You with Rita Ora; a soundtrack song that appeared in the hit film series, Fifty Shades.

READ MORE: Liam Payne remembered as a 'gentle, beautiful soul' by Richard Wilkins after sudden death

The hit singer, who had a son with ex Cheryl, shared a photo in March on Instagram to his millions of followers of son Bear looking at his dad's billboard which promoted his new music.

"I want to be on a billboard one day daddy 🐻 ❤️," Payne captioned the post, hinting about how proud he was that his son might follow in his parents' musical footsteps.

The former One Direction star died after falling from the third floor of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to state police, as reported by CNN.

If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

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