The members of the boy band One Direction said Thursday October 17 that they were “devastated” by the death of British singer Liam Payne after he fell from the third floor of his hotel room in Buenos Aires.
The members of the boy band One Direction said Thursday that they were “completely devastated” by the death of British singer Liam Payne on Wednesday in his fall from the 3rd floor of his hotel room in Buenos Aires in a context of “consumption of alcohol and drugs”according to the first results of the investigation.
“We are completely devastated by the news of Liam’s death.”wrote jointly Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, the four other members of the boy band which rose to dazzling fame after its formation in 2010.
“In due time, and when everyone is able to do so, we will have more to say. But for now, we will take time to grieve and digest the loss of our brother, whom we loved it a lot”they added on the group’s X account.
On Instagram, Harry Styles later paid him a personal tribute. “Making people happy was his greatest joy and it was an honor to be by his side,” he wrote, describing his former companion as having “heart on hand”.
“Substances”
The autopsy carried out late Wednesday evening established that the 31-year-old singer had, due to his fall, suffered “multiple traumas” et “internal and external bleeding” who caused his death, according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.
Liam Payne occupied a room on the 3rd floor, with a balcony overlooking a backyard, a height of almost 14 meters. The medical team that rushed to the scene could only “pronounce death”. “There was no possibility of resuscitation”according to the emergency chief.
Before his fall, shortly after 5 p.m. local time, the hotel had called the emergency number 911: “We have a client who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol and destroying his room, we need you to send someone!”.
“He has a room with a balcony and we are a little afraid that he will do something that puts his life in danger”said the front desk clerk, asking for a “urgent help”.
In photos of the room published by several media, we can see a television with a broken screen, bottles, cans with burn marks, candles, traces of white powder on a table, a half-finished glass of champagne. drank.
According to the prosecution, “a series of substances were seized in the musician’s room which would support a previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption”.
The results of histopathological, biochemical and toxicological analyzes were not initially known on Thursday. Liam Payne had openly spoken about his difficult relationship with fame and his problems with alcoholism which, as he revealed in 2023, had led him to a rehab center.
“Everything seems to indicate that the musician was alone at the time of his fall and that he was going through an episode of substance abuse”notes the prosecution, seeming to rule out the intervention of a third party.
On Payne’s hands “no ‘defensive’ type injuries were found”according to the autopsy. “All the injuries were vital and produced simultaneously”.
These injuries and the position of the body on the ground suggest that “Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself (in the fall) and may have fallen into a state of semi-or total unconsciousness.”. Which would validate an accidental thesis.
“All my childhood”
On the sidewalk in front of the hotel, many fans gathered as soon as the death of their idol was announced and left flowers, candles and messages.
At the end of Thursday afternoon, nearly a hundred young people gathered around the Obelisk, in the heart of Buenos Aires, for meditation, between tears, candles, white balloons decorated with messages, noted AFP.
Sitting in a circle around a photo of Liam placed on the ground, surrounded by flowers, they alternated moments of silence and covers of songs from the a cappella group “Night changes”, “What makes you beautiful”.
“One Direction is my entire childhood. I grew up with them, I’ve been listening to them since I was 13”told AFP Antonela Segura, 24, from the suburbs of Buenos Aires. “The circumstances of his death are very hard, it splits you in two […] I just hope that in his last days he was able to feel the love of the people here”.
“One Direction were one of the biggest bands in history, and their music had a huge impact on millions of fans”reacted a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who presented his “sincere condolences” to those close to the artist.
The family of the Briton born on August 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, declared in a press release that they “heartbroken” and demanded “privacy and space in this terrible time”. “Liam will forever live in our hearts, and we will remember him for his kindness, humor and courage.”it is added.
Solo careers
According to Billboard magazine, the singer attended a Niall Horan concert on October 2 in Buenos Aires. One Direction, who was one of the most lucrative boy bands in the world, with their smooth and light pop, released their fifth and final studio album, “Made in the AM” in 2016.
The announcement the same year of a break in the group’s career, never formalized as a separation, upset millions of fans.
With less success than Harry Styles or Zayn Malik, Liam Payne then launched a solo career. Her debut album, “LP1”, was released in 2019, and her single “Strip that Down” reached number three in the UK charts.
Last year, Liam Payne announced that he was working on a second album, and had just released a new single in March 2024.
