What we know about Liam Payne's death, including some of the unanswered questions
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine authorities continue to investigate the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died Wednesday at age 31 after falling three stories from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Payne was a beloved member of the group, which formed in 2010 after its members — Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik — auditioned for “The X-Factor” singing competition series as solo acts and were brought together by judge Simon Cowell to form the band. They became one of the most successful boy bands of all time, with a loyal fan base of “Directioners” and a meteoric rise to fame on par with Beatlemania.
Here is what we know — and what remains unknown — about the star's untimely death.
Hotel staff at the Casa Sur Hotel in the chic Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital where Payne was staying called the police Wednesday evening with concerns about a guest who they say was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.” Police rushed to the hotel and responded to the call just after 5 p.m. local time and they later confirmed they arrived just minutes before the fall.
The hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call obtained by The Associated Press saying the guest was “destroying the entire room” and added, "We need you to send someone, please.” The manager’s voice became more anxious as the call went on, noting the room had a balcony.
Officials said Payne's fall injuries alone were enough to cause his death, but prosecutors described Payne’s case as “suspicious,” citing the likelihood that the star had been drinking alcohol and taking drugs. The office also confirmed all signs pointed to Payne being alone at the time of the incident and authorities have ordered a toxicology report.
Whether the fall was intentional or accidental remains unknown, but the public prosecutor said the lack of defensive injuries on Payne’s hands indicated that “he did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “in complete disarray.” They saw “various items broken” and recovered packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn among his belongings.
Forensics teams also reported that authorities recovered a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone from the internal courtyard where Payne’s body was found. Evidence collected from the scene, a statement from Argentine authorities added, suggested Payne “was going through some kind of substance abuse episode.”
In recent years, Payne had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
As police and prosecutors await the results of the toxicology report, they are continuing the investigation and trying to reconstruct Payne's final moments. Authorities said they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne in his hotel room hours before his fall. The two women had left the hotel by the time of the incident, the prosecution said.
TMZ, a celebrity news site known for its scoops and tabloid sensibilities, initially included cropped photos of Payne's body after the fall that featured his identifying tattoos in their early reporting Wednesday. After receiving swift backlash, the site pulled the photos.
In the updated version of the story, the outlet wrote, “TMZ has seen a photo showing Liam’s body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby” and proceeded to describe the tattoos and how the image helped to confirm early reports of Payne's death.
Fans took to social media to express outrage at the outlet for its decision to share the photos.
TMZ did not immediately return requests for comment.
The photos are still circulating on social media, as well as a video of a man jumping from a building on fire that users are mistakenly taking as a video of Payne’s fall. Several other videos of falls or jumps from balconies have been circulating, as well. X’s “community notes” feature, where readers can provide context and — in this case — debunk falsely represented content, are present on several, but not all posts.
The surviving members of One Direction — Horan, Tomlinson, Styles and Malik — put out a statement Thursday saying they are “completely devastated” by Payne's death.
"In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” their statement concluded.
Malik, Tomlinson and Styles also shared individual tributes on their Instagram pages Thursday, each writing about their close friendships with Payne. All three wrote again that they are “devastated.”
Malik and Tomlinson addressed Payne directly in their statements, each of them calling him their brother. Tomlinson wrote that he wants to “be the Uncle” for Payne's 7-year-old son, Bear, and plans to “tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.”
Payne had his son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl, in 2017. He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
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Huamani reported from Los Angeles.
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