Fans are still reeling after the shocking news broke that former One Direction member Liam Payne died at 31 years old on Wednesday, October 16. The singer was found dead at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he had fallen from a balcony on the third floor. Since then, more details about the circumstances surrounding Liam’s death have come to light. Here’s everything we know about the situation thus far.
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Someone at the hotel called 911 around 5 p.m. Wednesday.
According to CNN, a hotel worker called emergency services reporting an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Hotel staff were unable to enter the room, and at that time, they said they were unsure if “the guest’s life is at risk.”
“He breaks things up. He is tearing the whole room apart,” the hotel manager said on the call.
Liam was pronounced dead at the scene.
The BBC reported that when police arrived at the hotel, staff told them that they’d heard a loud sound in the courtyard. That was where Liam was found and pronounced dead, with “no possibility of resuscitation.” Following an autopsy, a preliminary report released to the public revealed that he had suffered 25 injuries that were “consistent with a fall from a great height” and may have been unconscious when he fell.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Liam's death are still underway.
Investigators have spoken to five witnesses, which include hotel workers along with two women who were with Liam earlier that day at the hotel but left before the incident occurred. Now, authorities are attempting to determine if there was “possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to the victim’s death,” according to the BBC.
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Police discovered that Liam's hotel room was in 'total disorder.'
This was consistent with the hotel’s report that the singer had been “destroying his room” before he died. Police found “various broken items” in the room, along with whiskey, a lighter, a passport, a cell phone, and medications including Clonazepam, per the BBC. Authorities also found “narcotics and alcoholic beverages” in the room.
A toxicology report has been ordered, but the results haven't come back yet.
In the meantime, Liam’s loved ones have been sharing tributes to the late singer, including his former One Direction bandmates. Niall Horan, who spent time with Liam two weeks earlier, wrote in a post on Instagram that his friend’s death “doesn’t feel real.”
“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure,” he wrote.
Niall added, “All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”
