“In due time, and when everyone is able to do so, we will have more to say. But for now, we are going to take the time to mourn and digest the loss of our brother, whom we loved very much,” 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 “a heart on his sleeve”.
« Substances »
The autopsy carried out late Wednesday evening established that the 31-year-old singer had, due to his fall, suffered “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” which 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 in could only “notify 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 guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol and destroying his room, we need you send someone! » “He has a room with a balcony and we are a little afraid that he might do something that puts his life in danger,” the receptionist said, asking for “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-drunk glass of champagne .
LUIS ROBAYO / AFP
According to the prosecution, “a series of substances were seized in the musician’s room which would support a previous situation of consumption of alcohol and narcotics”. 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.
Accidental thesis
“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 that he may have fallen into a state of semi-unconsciousness or unconsciousness total”. Which would validate an accidental thesis.
ROBYN BECK / AFP
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 the day on Thursday, 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. 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”.
Solo careers
“One Direction is my whole childhood. I grew up with them, I’ve been listening to them since I was 13,” confided 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 was one of the biggest groups in history, and their music had a huge impact on millions of fans,” responded a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who presented his “sincere condolences” to the artist’s loved ones.
The family of the Briton, born August 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, said in a statement that they were “heartbroken” and asked for “privacy and space at this terrible time.” “Liam will forever live in our hearts, and we will remember him for his kindness, his humor and his courage,” it added. 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.
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