Buenos Aires, Argentina — The circumstances surrounding the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne are suspicious and may have been drug-related, but there are no signs that a third party was involved, Argentine prosecutors said on Thursday.
Payne, 31, who died on Wednesday, first found fame as a teenager and grappled with the pressures of global stardom.
As news of his death spread around the world, Payne was found dead after falling from the third floor of the hotel at the stylish Casa Sur Hotel in Palermo, the capital of Argentina. All four of Payne’s former One Direction bandmates issued a joint statement saying they were “completely devastated.”
“The memories we shared with him will be cherished forever,” the letter, signed by Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, said. “As time goes by and everyone can do it, there will be more to say.”
Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “completely disorganized” with broken items and furniture. They found Clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and over-the-counter medications scattered around his belongings. Argentine prosecutors said there also appeared to be alcohol and drugs in the room.
The forensics team reported that a whiskey bottle, lighter and cell phone were recovered from the inner courtyard of the building where Payne’s body was found.
Prosecutors said an autopsy showed internal bleeding and 25 traumatic injuries to his skull, limbs and abdomen, consistent with a fall. He said the injuries alone were enough to cause death.
Although there were no signs of a third party being involved, he described Payne’s case as ‘suspicious’ and mentioned the possibility that the star may have been under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Requested toxicology tests may take several weeks to complete.
The lack of defensive injuries to Payne’s hands suggests he may have been unconscious, prosecutors said, and evidence suggests Payne was “suffering some type of substance abuse episode” at the time.
All signs indicate Payne was alone at the time of his death, prosecutors added.
The coroner listed his cause of death as “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage.” Authorities said they collected statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne’s hotel room hours earlier to reconstruct Payne’s final moments. .
Prosecutors said the two women had left the hotel at the time of the incident.
Fans, both at home and abroad, gathered in droves to cry, sing and pay their respects at the hotel where Payne died. One musically inclined fan got into a One Direction song and played guitar while others sang along and filmed it on their mobile phones.
Several girls with tear-stained cheeks sat in rapt silence, pausing in front of a makeshift memorial dotted with candles and colorful flowers on the cordoned-off street outside the hotel. Some fans even attached notes to tree trunks with Payne’s portrait and heartbreaking slogans such as “Always in my heart.”
A few kilometers away, at Obelisco in the city center, a usual Thursday afternoon mix of food vendors, tourists and homeless people gathered, but also a group of grieving young female fans.
On Wednesday, police said Payne “jumped from the balcony of his room,” but did not elaborate on how they came to that conclusion or whether the jump was intentional. Police said they rushed to the hotel shortly after 5pm local time in response to an emergency call warning them of an intoxicated guest acting strangely.
In a recording of the 911 call obtained by The Associated Press, the hotel manager can be heard saying, “There are guests in the hotel who are under the influence of drugs and alcohol.” … He’s destroying the whole room. Um, please send someone.”
Tributes continued to pour in on Thursday from pop industry figures and fellow musicians.
Payne became known as the complex and wise one of the quintet, who went from TV talent show to pop phenomenon to huge fans around the world. In recent years, he has admitted to struggling with alcohol addiction, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
“We are heartbroken. “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we will remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” his family said in a statement through Payne’s representative. “We are doing our best as a family to support each other and ask for privacy and space during this terrible time.”
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction in 2014, said he was “shocked and saddened.” Backstreet Boys said in a social media post, “Our hearts go out to Directioners around the world.”
In past interviews, Payne has spoken of the harsh consequences of growing up in the surreal backdrop of the entertainment industry.
“I don’t think you can handle something like that. “It’s kind of crazy for us to see people have that kind of mentality about us and what we do,” he told The Associated Press in 2013, recounting how a fan was shocked when he met him.
One Direction announced an indefinite “hiatus” in 2016, and Payne, like his former bandmates, pursued a solo career, turning to EDM and hip hop.
While former One Direction singer Harry Styles has gone on to become a huge solo star, others have found only moderate success. Payne’s 2017 single “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo entered the Billboard Top 10 and stayed on the charts for several months. He released his album ‘LP1’ in 2019 and his last single titled ‘Teardrops’ was released in March.
In 2020, to celebrate One Direction’s 10th anniversary, Payne shared a screenshot of a text message he sent to his father the day he joined the group. “I’m in a boy band.”
“It’s been an amazing journey. I had no idea what we were doing when I sent this text to my dad a few years ago, right around the time the band was formed,” he wrote.
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Associated Press reporters Natacha Pisarenko and Almudena Calatrava contributed reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
