Former One Direction band member Liam Payne fell to his death from his third story balcony on October 16 at his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne’s death comes two weeks after he had gone to see his friend, and former bandmate, Niall Horan, perform in Argentina.
Payne, 31, had been staying at the Casa Sur Hotel where he fell from his balcony at approximately 5:07 pm. A call was made to local authorities minutes before the accident, where hotel staff expressed their concerns for Payne’s well being, and shared that they believed he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
A second call was made from the hotel, when hotel staff reported Payne to be causing a disturbance and destroying his room.
“I don't know if the guest's life is in danger. But he has a room with a balcony and we're a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” the hotel’s front desk manager said in his second call to the authorities.
An autopsy conducted after the incident confirmed that Payne had multiple drugs in his system, with a toxicology report showing he had pink cocaine in his system. Pink cocaine is usually a mix of many illegal substances, and sometimes caffeine as well. However, despite its name, sometimes there may be no cocaine in it at all.
Medical experts noted that Payne sustained 25 injuries from the 45 foot fall, however, he made no attempt to protect himself. This led to the experts believing Payne had fallen unconscious prior to his fall.
“I think it was surprising, I felt bad for my younger self,” NHS Junior, Matiya Kouassi said.
At the concert, Payne and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy were seen singing and dancing, as well as posing for pictures with fans. Cassidy, however, left Argentina on October 12th, while Payne stayed after extending his trip from five days to two weeks.
Payne’s body was removed from the hotel at approximately 8:30 pm. His father, Geoff Payne, visited the sight on October 19th, where he was met with a large memorial for his son. Fans had gathered and left things such as candles, and framed pictures to commemorate the singer.
I was at dance when my friend told me, and I began to cry. I was so shocked, I couldn’t believe it,” NHS Junior, Olivia Grasso said.
Payne’s death led to a large wave of social media messages, from both fans and those he was close with. Payne’s ex-wife, Cheryl from Girls Aloud, shared an image on social media of Liam Payne and his son Bear, along with a broken heart emoji.
Along with Cheryl, each past member of One Direction shared their own individual thoughts and responses to the event.
“I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother,” Former One Direction member, Louis Tomlinson said in his post to Instagram. “Iwant you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.”.
The other singers of the former band, Zayn, Harry Styles and Niall Horan all sent out their own replies via social media. Along with the singers, many fans sent out their thoughts, and condolences to Payne’s family.
Liam Payne’s body was sent back to the UK on (insert date), where his burial and funeral is/was arranged to take place on (insert other date).
Comments