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Timeline of Liam Payne’s final moments in smashed Buenos Aires hotel room
Images taken of Liam Payne’s hotel room on Tuesday are a disturbing glimpse into the lead up to his death. Here’s what we know so far
As details began to emerge this week, mourners continue to try and piece together the tragic circumstances surrounding Liam Payne’s untimely death.
The 31-year-old One Direction singer was found dead after falling from a three-storey balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Tuesday.
While test results to determine exactly what drugs, if any, were in Payne’s system at the time of his death are pending, authorities are now working to reconstruct the circumstances that preceded his death.
Exactly what happened is still unknown. But, in the last 48 hours, images purportedly taken by hotel staff of Payne’s room appear to paint a series of fraught, chaotic scenes that would befall tragedy.
Here’s what we know about the star’s final moments:
October 2: Payne arrives in Argentina
Katie Cassidy, Payne’s girlfriend of two years, posts a TikTok of the pair travelling to Buenos Aires. In the video, Payne is seen “making beats” on his laptop on the way to the airport, and waving at the camera from his first class seat. He was visiting the city to see his former One Direction bandmate, Niall Horan, perform as part of his tour.
October 14: Cassidy leaves
Cassidy, an influencer, posts that she is leaving Buenos Aires to return to her home in Florida. “We were supposed to be there for five days,” she says on a voiceover, “it turned into two weeks and I was just like, I need to go home.” Payne stays in Argentina, checking into the CasaSur Palermo hotel.
October 16, around 4pm: Payne posts Snapchats
Just an hour before his death, Payne shares a hotel room tour along with photos of him and Cassidy. He describes a “lovely day in Argentina” and their plans to ride horses. “Think I’m going to play polo again, which is going to put me out of action for about six weeks,” he added. In one video, posted a few days after it was recorded, he joked with Cassidy for being a “loser” for going home.
October 16, shortly after: First call to the police
Concerned by a guest “drunk with drugs and alcohol”, hotel staff at CasaSur Palermo call 911 for assistance with Payne. “We’ve got a guest who has had too many drugs and alcohol and, well, when he is conscious he is trashing the entire room and we need you to send someone, please,” the hotel manager said during the call.
He added that they feared Payne’s “life might be in danger”. “He is in a room with a balcony and, well, we’re a little afraid that he…”
Staff at the CasaSur Palermo claim that Payne was behaving “erratically in the hotel lobby” in the hours close to his time of death. According to local media reports, he “smashed his laptop” before he “had to be carried back to his room”.
Pictures later released to the Argentinian press by an “official source”, allegedly of Payne’s room, show the wreckage laid bare. A TV resting on a wooden shelving unit in the deluxe suite Payne was staying in is smashed, next to it a half-empty glass of champagne. In another photo, discarded screwed up pieces of burned foil are seen next to an unknown white powder and pill bottle. A wine glass, box of Dove soap, a burned drinks can lid and lighter are also on the table. More burned foil was found in the sink.
A guest at the hotel told reporters that they heard a “loud violent scream” coming from Payne’s room just before he died.
October 16, 5.04pm Argentinian Standard Time, 9.04pm BST: Payne is found dead
The alarm was raised by hotel workers who reported that “a person was lying in an internal patio at CasaSur”, a city ambulance service provider spokesman, Alberto Crescenti, said.
“At 5.11pm, an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead. Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.”
Payne fell 45ft from the balcony of a third-floor hotel room to his death. He was pronounced dead at 5.11pm.
October 17: Tributes are paid
Payne’s former One Direction bandmates are among the first to pay tribute to their “brother”. Liam Gallagher, Dermot O’Leary and Paris Hilton are among those who pay tribute to the “kind, funny and brave soul”. Ed Sheeran, who collaborated with Payne in the past, said that he is “lost for words”.
Speculation begins to grow about Payne’s mental health in the time leading up to his death.
In a 2019 interview, Payne opened up about his struggles with fame and mental ill-health. He admitted he had endured periods of loneliness and suicidality, as well as a struggle with addiction to alcohol and pain medication. Last year he spent time in a rehab facility, and subsequently celebrated 100 days of sobriety.
October 17: Post mortem reveals cause of death, investigators confirm Clonazepam was found in Payne’s room
The autopsy found that Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” as a result of his fall from the balcony.
Police investigating his death – which they said was being treated as an “inconclusive death” – confirmed that Payne’s room was in “total disorder”. They had found several broken items scattered around the suite, including Clonazepam, an anti-anxiety drug deemed “super-Valium”. They also found a bottle of whiskey, a mobile phone and over-the-counter medication.
October 17: Payne’s family say they are “devastated” by his death
“We are heartbroken,” they said. “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.
"We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."
Cheryl, mother of his seven-year-old son, Bear, has yet to speak out. Payne became a father to Bear with Cheryl in 2017, when he was 23. The couple split the following year but co-parented in the following years.
Note: If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support. You can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the US, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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