Last month, the tragic death of former One Direction star Liam Payne, who fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, left fans around the world in shock. Now, Argentine authorities have charged three people in connection with the incident, providing further details that paint a complex picture of Payne’s final days.
Payne, who was just 31, had checked into the CasaSur Hotel. On the day of his death, a hotel staff member made an urgent 911 call, concerned that he was acting aggressively. The employee suggested that he may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
An autopsy later confirmed suspicions, revealing traces of alcohol, cocaine, and an antidepressant in his system. As authorities began investigating the events leading up to his death, they turned their attention to three individuals who may have played a role.
The suspects in the case include an alleged drug dealer, a hotel employee believed to have supplied cocaine to the Payne, and a person close to him who had been with him before his death. Prosecutors claim the hotel worker provided cocaine at least twice, while the suspected dealer is accused of supplying drugs two days prior to the incident. The third individual, who was reportedly visiting at the time, faces a charge of “abandonment of a person followed by death.”
Prosecutors have officially ruled out suicide. In a statement, they clarified, “the lack of defense or self-preservation reflex in the fall, together with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall.” They also dismissed the possibility of “physical intervention by a third party.”
Liam Payne, originally from Wolverhampton, England, first rose to fame as a teenager on The X Factor, where he joined the group One Direction. The band became one of the biggest boybands ever, selling over 70 million records worldwide before taking an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
In past interviews, Payne had been open about his struggles with mental health, sharing how he turned to alcohol and even an epilepsy medication as a mood stabiliser to cope with the “erratic highs and lows” he felt during the height of One Direction’s fame.
As the investigation continues, authorities are working to unlock his broken laptop, which eyewitnesses reported seeing him smash in the hotel lobby. This detail only adds to the mystery surrounding the singer’s final days, with fans and investigators seeking answers.
Payne’s untimely death has sent shockwaves through fans around the globe, leaving loved ones and former bandmates heartbroken and looking for closure.
