celebrity

Everything we know about Liam Payne's death.

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead in a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday October 16. He was aged just 31.

First reported by local newspaper La Nacion, and later confirmed by local police, the British musician fell from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel's third-floor balcony into an internal courtyard. 

Watch: Liam Payne's XFactor audition. Article continues after video.

The initial police report.

According to an official police report, officers from Buenos Aires City Police's Station 14B attended the hotel in the late afternoon of Wednesday, October 16, after an emergency call was made reporting an "aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol".

At 5:04pm, a second emergency call was made, that a person was in the internal courtyard of the hotel.

SAME (Emergency Medical Assistance System) director Alberto Crescenti said his team confirmed Payne's death seven minutes later.

"Unfortunately, he had injuries incompatible with life due to the fall, so we had to confirm the death. There was no possibility of resuscitation," Crescenti said, adding that the drop was around 13 to 14 metres.

Crescenti has said that authorities are still investigating the circumstances of his death.

Liam Payne's cause of death confirmed.

In the hours since his death, the details of the first emergency call along with Payne's cause of death have been confirmed by police.

A preliminary autopsy report, shared in a Spanish-language press release from the country's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office, reveals that Payne died from internal and external traumas sustained after falling from the third floor of the CasaSur Hotel.

The report added that the former One Direction star appeared to be alone and under the influence of substances when he fell at 5:07pm.

The findings align with the audio of the hotel staff's call to emergency services, which was obtained by the Buenos Aires security ministry and shared online.

In the call, a concerned hotel worker claimed an "aggressive" man at the hotel was "overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol" and "destroying [their] entire room."

"When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone," the staff member said.

Chillingly, he added, "I don't know whether his life may be in danger, the guest's life… He is in a room with a balcony and well, we're a little afraid that he … He's been here for two or three days."

By the time authorities arrived, Payne had already fallen and succumbed to his injuries.

Head of emergency services, Alberto Crescenti was the one to confirm the star's death.

"At 17:04, through 911, the integrated public security system, we were alerted about a person who was in an internal courtyard of the Casa Sur hotel. At 17:11, a team arrived and confirmed the man's death," he said.

"Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life," Crescenti added.

"Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death."

Forensic doctors found 25 injuries on his body — including to the skull, abdomen and limbs — noting the possibility that Payne was unconscious during the fall.

Substances believed to be narcotics and alcoholic beverages were also discovered in the hotel room.

Investigators have found no evidence of third-party involvement but are awaiting further toxicology reports to determine what role drugs or alcohol may have played in the singer's death.

On the night of Payne's passing, investigators interviewed five individuals, including three hotel staff members and two women who had been with the singer shortly before his death but left before the incident.

Image: Snapchat

Before his passing, Payne had been posting on Snapchat about his visit to Argentina.

"Good morning everybody. Here's a little video of me," he said. "It's a lovely day here in Argentina."

His girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, joked off-screen, "Literally we sleep in every day until at least 12, we're such losers."

"Today, we ride. We're going to ride some horses," Payne said in the video. "Think I'm going to play polo again, which is going to put me out of action for about six weeks."

The pair were in the country to attend the concert of one of his former bandmates, Niall Horan. A few days ago, Kate shared a TikTok video where she revealed she had flown back to the U.S.

"I was so ready to leave, honestly, love South America but I hate staying in one place too long," she said. "We were supposed to be there for five days and it turned into two weeks and I was just like, I need to go home."

In an eerie coincidence, Cassidy noted an unsettling coincidence—her seat number on the flight was "1D," referencing One Direction.

"Of course my seat was 1D, I feel like this happens every time I fly," she said, before saying she had anxiety before flying and a rash that had appeared on her neck.

Image: TikTok/@kateecassidy.

Payne rose to fame after auditioning for the British version of the X Factor in 2010. Through the audition process, the boy band One Direction was formed, with Payne working alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

The group broke up in 2016 and all five members have since gone on to have flourishing solo careers.

Payne began dating X Factor judge and pop star Cheryl Cole in 2016. They welcomed their first son Bear together on on March 22, 2017.

The couple broke up in 2018.

At the time of his death, Payne had been dating Kate Cassidy since 2022.

This is a developing story. Check back here for further updates.

Featured image: Getty.