Former One Direction singer Liam Payne had multiple drugs in his system, including crack cocaine and methamphetamine, when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina, an anonymous source in Argentina familiar with the initial toxicology report says. revealed.
The British singer and former One Direction member died last week at the age of 31 after jumping from his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires.
ABC News and TMZ reported that a mixture of drugs called “pink cocaine,” including methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA, was found at a partial autopsy, along with crack cocaine and benzodiazepines. Both media outlets cited anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests.
The Associated Press reported that anonymous officials said preliminary toxicology reports suggest evidence of exposure to cocaine, but these initial results do not indicate how much was circulating in the blood at the time of death. He emphasized that it does not provide an accurate reading of the state of affairs.
Final toxicology results are not expected to be released for several weeks.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, The Associated Press reported. The breaking news was widely reported in local media on Monday.
Argentine prosecutors are investigating the case, but sudden and unexpected deaths are not uncommon.
Payne’s autopsy concluded that the trauma that caused his death was consistent with a fall from a third-floor hotel window. Prosecutors have ruled out anyone else involved.
Argentine investigators found what appeared to be drugs and alcohol strewn across broken property and furniture in the 31-year-old Payne’s hotel room, and prosecutors say Payne was on drugs around the time of the fall. They speculated that he had suffered a debilitating condition due to abuse. Prosecutors said Payne may have jumped from the hotel room balcony in a state of “semi-consciousness or complete unconsciousness.”
Photos published by local media said to have been taken from inside Payne’s hotel room showed snow-like powder left on the table and a broken TV screen. Police also found blister packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, and over-the-counter medications scattered among Payne’s belongings. Shortly before Payne’s death, the hotel manager called 911 to report a guest acting aggressively while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Investigators are also trying to determine who sold the drugs to Payne at the Casasul Hotel, a trendy neighborhood in the Argentine capital Palermo. Police have taken statements from at least three hotel employees and two women who visited Mr. Payne’s hotel room in the hours before his death.
Fans and pop industry figures around the world responded with an outpouring of sadness.
The late singer’s father, Jeff Payne, was in Buenos Aires on Monday, meeting with prosecutors and other local officials to plan the repatriation of her body.
Argentine authorities plan to release the body next week, allowing Geoff Payne to fly home and hold a funeral in Britain, where hundreds of enthusiastic One Direction fans will be able to gather on Sunday. People gathered to mourn the musician.
– The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
