The music industry and most of the world came to a standstill on October 16 when it was announced that former One Direction star Liam Payne had tragically passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The singer fell from a third-floor hotel balcony at the CasaSur Hotel.
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Payne, who rose to global fame as a member of the iconic boyband, had been in the spotlight for years. He had often been in the news as he tried to balance his solo music career and personal challenges with fame and sobriety. However, his untimely death changed everything.
An autopsy report determined Payne’s cause of death as ‘multiple trauma’ and ‘internal and external haemorrhage’ as a result of the fall. As the investigation continues, new details have been released shedding light on the circumstances of his untimely passing, and raising questions about the events leading up to his demise.
Timeline of events leading to Liam Payne’s death
According to TMZ, the final hours of Payne’s life were marked by excessive drinking, and attempts to procure drugs. The tabloid allegedly obtained court documents which noted that at approximately 10 pm on October 15, Payne ordered four bottles of whiskey to his room at the CasaSur Hotel. This was followed by a second order at 6:36 am on October 16, just hours before he fell, reports Mirror.
At around 7 am, Payne, who's funeral took place last week, texted a friend saying:
Dude I think I'm going to f--k a hooker.
He texted the same friend two hours later and said ‘Can you get 6 grams?’ suggesting he was looking for drugs. E! Online reports that two sex workers arrived at Payne’s hotel around 11.30 am per the court documents. These two told investigators that Payne asked them if they were carrying cocaine as he had finished his stash. He also became enraged when they wanted payment, and the two women subsequently left his room. They have been cleared by authorities.
Interestingly, at around 2 pm, Payne texted an unspecified number understood to be that of hotel staff to provide him with ‘another 7 grams’ for the day. The hotel staff later confirmed that Payne was ‘visibly drunk’ with dilated pupils by 4 pm.
The singer’s struggle with addiction was well-known, and his father, Geoff Payne, had warned that Liam should never be alone. This concern was highlighted further when it came to light that Liam’s friend, Roger Nores—who is said to be one of the three people charged in connection to his death—left the hotel shortly before his death.
Nores had agreed to act as Liam’s carer. He arrived at the hotel at 3:54 pm and left at 4:04 pm. At 4:25 pm, he reportedly texted Payne ‘How are you?’ but never got a reply. The timing of this departure has led to questions of whether Nores neglected his duty and hence abandoned him. These are accusations that Nores has vehemently denied.
Liam Payne allegedly died trying to escape from his hotel room
Other details that have come to light with security footage and police reports are about the moments leading to Liam Payne’s fatal fall. Surveillance video showed Payne in the hotel lobby, appearing disoriented and under the influence, before being escorted to his room by hotel staff.
In the photos obtained by TMZ, a reluctant Payne was seen being carried to his room by three hotel workers. The 31-year-old was consciousand struggled with the employees as they reached his floor to lock him in his room.
It is reported that the staff used a master key to open his room and put him inside. Seeing how Liam destroyed his room and furniture, the staff removed a wall mirror right outside his room for safety purposes. Reports reveal that the singer threatened to use the balcony to escape his room but was still left by himself in a room with a balcony.
As per the time stamps in the security footage, hotel staff called the authorities right before Payne fell through the balcony and after he was escorted to his room. The hotel staff said:
We have a guest who is [allegedly] high and drunk; and when he is conscious, he is destroying his room and we need you to send someone, please. We need you to send someone urgently because I don’t know if his life is in danger.
He is in a room that has a balcony and we are scared he might be endangering his life.
Witnesses have said that Payne was attempting to leave his room and had prepared for an escape. When his body was found, he had a bag strapped around his shoulder, which was not seen on him when he was escorted to his room earlier. A hat was also found on or near his body.
Additionally, a brown leather bag, containing pills and a bottle of Jack Daniels, was found on the balcony below his. As per Page Six, the bag contained a note that read ‘For Liam.’ It is presumed that Payne dropped it on the second-floor balcony as he tried to escape.
Why did Liam Payne try to escape through his balcony?
As One Direction reached heights of fame, the only way to tackle the band’s fandom was to lock the band members in a hotel room until things settled. Payne has previously spoken about how he hated being locked in rooms and it was during this time he resorted to drinking, reports Page Six. During a podcast interview in 2021, he said:
When we were in the band, the best way to secure us — because of how big it got — was just lock us in our rooms. And of course, what’s in the room? Mini bar.
So at a certain point, I thought, ‘Well I’m gonna have a party for one.'
In September 2024, the Night Changes singer also fired a bodyguard who forced him inside a room at his Florida rental house. The bodyguard was understood to be worried that he was on a drug binge. Payne managed to escape from the house from the balcony using a garden hose to reach the ground.
Liam Payne’s family to take legal action
In the wake of the new revelations, Liam Payne’s family has decided to take legal action against anyone who has been found to be involved in his death. Reports indicate that music industry lawyer Richard Bray is acting on behalf of the family and that he has engaged a local Buenos Aires law firm to represent them.
A source close to Payne’s family claimed that they were ‘100% sure’ that Payne’s parents and his siblings were going to seek justice for him. This is the first time that Payne’s family has been mentioned in any part of the ongoing investigation and they will now be named plaintiffs in any criminal case moving forward.
Read more:
Liam Payne's tragic death: This is how much the singer was worth, and who will inherit his fortune
Inside Liam Payne’s high-profile romances: From Cheryl Cole to Maya Henry, here's everyone he dated
Liam Payne: From Simon Cowell to One Direction bandmates, here’s everyone who attended his funeral
Sources used:
TMZ: Liam Payne Died As He Tried to Escape from Hotel Balcony... Sources Say Hotel is to Blame
Mirror: Liam Payne's final hours from whiskey binge to final heartbraking texts new details emerge
E! Online: Liam Payne Death Investigation: Singer's Final Moments Revealed in Court Documents
Page Six: Liam Payne’s family now poised to take legal action against any individual involved in his death from hotel fall
Page Six: Liam Payne was trying to escape hotel room using the balcony before he fell to his death: report
