CNN
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Former One Direction member Liam Payne died on Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of the Casasul Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, police said. The exact circumstances surrounding his death are currently under investigation.
Here’s what we know:
On Wednesday, hotel employees called police for emergency assistance moments before Payne fell, according to an emergency call obtained by CNN’s local affiliate Todo Noticias.
Police said in a statement later that day that officers rushed to the hotel just after 5pm local time after receiving an emergency call warning of an “aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” .
“We have a customer who is high on drugs and alcohol,” the front desk manager said over the phone. “He breaks things. He’s tearing up the whole room.”
The manager said staff needed to “send someone urgently” because they didn’t know “if a guest’s life was in danger.”
A manager said by phone that hotel staff had no access to the rooms where guests had been staying for “a few days.”
What we know so far about Liam Payne’s death
On Thursday, Argentina’s public prosecutor’s office said in a statement that it was investigating Payne’s case, saying: “Everything indicates that the musician was alone at the time of the fall and was experiencing some kind of episode of substance abuse. “There is,” he said.
On Wednesday, Buenos Aires police said in a statement to The Associated Press that Payne “jumped from the balcony of his room,” but did not elaborate on how they came to that conclusion or whether the jump was intentional. I didn’t mention it.
Reached by CNN on Thursday, Pablo Policicchio, head of communications for the Buenos Aires police, declined to clarify the statement provided to The Associated Press and referred CNN to the prosecutor’s office for more information.
Payne’s injuries suggest she may have been completely unconscious at the time of the fall, the prosecutor’s report suggested. “The position in which the body was found and the injuries sustained from the fall suggest that Mr. Payne may not have taken a reflexive position to protect himself and may have fallen semi- or fully unconscious.” It is written in the report.
The prosecutor’s report added that a range of substances that could be “indicative of previous alcohol and drug consumption” were seized in Payne’s Buenos Aires hotel room.
Photos of Payne’s hotel room released by Buenos Aires police showed a broken television.
As the investigation continues, prosecutors said statements from five witnesses were taken to reconstruct what happened in the hours before Payne’s death. Marcelo Roma, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, confirmed that a preliminary autopsy report determined that Payne’s cause of death was “polytrauma,” meaning multiple serious injuries and “internal and external bleeding” caused by the fall. . Authorities are conducting an autopsy.
In recent years, Payne has spoken publicly about facing battles with mental health and substance abuse.
Reflecting on his recurring feelings of loneliness on Sky show Ant Middleton and Liam Payne: Straight Talking in 2019, he said: When will it end? ”
“It almost killed me a few times,” he added.
Payne also spoke about dealing with alcoholism on the podcast “The Diary of a CEO” in 2021, saying “it was an issue” and that there were “really, really serious” aspects to it.
“I feel like when I was in a band and the band got so big, the best way to protect ourselves was to just lock ourselves in a room. And of course, what’s in the room? So at one point I thought, yeah, I’m going to have a one-person party, and that’s what it seemed like for years of my life,” he added.
“It’s wild, but it was kind of the only way I could vent my frustrations during the day,” he said.
CNN reporter details the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne
Payne was born on August 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, England, and studied Music Technology at Wolverhampton City University.
He was still living in the area when he shot to fame on British TV competition show The X Factor. He first appeared on the show in 2008 at the age of 14 and returned for a second audition two years later on the advice of Simon Cowell.
He won the hearts of young fans alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson after they were grouped together to form One Direction on the show.
The much-loved boy band, which has garnered a worldwide fan base of “The Directioners,” became the first to have their first four albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The group, also known as 1D, sold more than 70 million records worldwide before disbanding in 2006. 2016.
The band is known for songs such as “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Best Song Ever,” “Story of My Life,” “Steal My Girl,” and “Night Changes.” , Payne’s solo songs include “Strip That Down (feat. Quavo),” “Familiar” and “Bedroom Floor,” which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier this year, he released a song called “Teardrops.”
Ms Payne is survived by her seven-year-old son Bear, who he had with ex-Girls Aloud member and X Factor judge Cheryl Tweedy.
On Thursday, about 24 hours after news of his death broke, Payne’s former bandmates released a statement mourning him, saying they were “absolutely devastated.”
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him along with us.” said Styles, Horan, Malik and Tomlinson in a joint statement posted to the band’s Instagram page. “We will miss him very much. We love Liam.”
“I am absolutely devastated by Liam’s passing. His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was a privilege to be around and watch him do that.” Styles wrote in a separate statement posted to his Instagram page on Thursday. “Liam lived with an open heart and had a contagious energy about life.”
Styles wrote that the years he spent with Payne, who was “warm, supportive, and incredibly loving,” will remain “one of the most important years of my life.” There is.
Tomlinson also paid tribute to Payne separately on his Instagram account, writing that he was “not devastated” by the death of Payne, whom he called his “brother”.
Tomlinson wrote: “Liam was someone I looked up to every day – a very positive, funny and kind person.” “And just for the record, in my opinion, Liam was the most important part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his writing… Talent. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us.”
Malik also paid tribute to Payne on his Instagram page on Thursday, writing: “I want to give Payne one last hug.”
“When I missed home as a 17-year-old kid, you were always there with a positive outlook and a reassuring smile, letting me know you were my friend and that I was loved.” he said directly to Payne.
Fellow artists also expressed their sadness and condolences, including singer Rita Ora, who collaborated with Payne on the song “For You” in 2018. “I loved working with him so much. He was so much fun to be around on and off stage,” she wrote on Thursday’s X-Page.
At a concert in Japan on Wednesday night, Ora performed “For You” in Payne’s honor and appeared to shed tears throughout the song, video footage from the concert shows. At one point, Ora told the audience, “I can’t even sing this right now,” before sitting on stage and resting her head in her hands. A photo of Ora and Payne in the studio together splashed on the screen behind her.
Payne’s friend James Corden posted a tribute on Instagram on Thursday: “It’s truly heartbreaking to talk about Liam in the past tense.”
“I want to cherish the moments I was able to spend with him,” he added.
