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(NewsNation) — Liam Payne, a former member of One Direction, fell to his death from his balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires Wednesday, a sad end to a recently turbulent life.
Liam Payne’s death at Argentina hotel
First responders were called at 5:04 pm on Wednesday by the hotel — half an hour after he was carried out of the hotel’s lobby and just minutes before Payne fell from his third-floor balcony at 5:07 pm.
A newly released emergency call from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires manager to the police was chilling.
Friends and musicians express heartbreak at the death of singer Liam Payne at age 31
The frantic manager “begged for law enforcement and requested urgent’ assistance, alleging the out-of-control singer was ‘putting his life at risk’,” according to the NY Post.
“Hello, good morning. I just called and my line got disconnected. I’m calling (from) the CasaSur hotel in Palermo, Costa Rica 6032,” the manager is heard saying in Spanish in audio obtained by the Sun UK and La Nacion.
The manager, “Esteban,” claimed that Payne was destroying his hotel room and was under the influence of “drugs and alcohol., saying: “Well, we have a guest who is drunk on drugs and alcohol. And, well, he’s … When he’s conscious, he’s breaking up the whole room. And, well, we need you to send someone, please.”
“We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know if this guest’s life is at risk. They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk.”
“How long has he been there or is it a residential hotel?” the operator asked.
“No, no, he’s been there for two or three days,” the manager said.
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 04: Recording artist Liam Payne of music group One Direction performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball 2015 Presented by Capital One at STAPLES CENTER on December 4, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for iHeartMedia) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 06: Liam Payne performs during WE Day UK 2019 at The SSE Arena on March 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 28: Singer Liam Payne attends the World Premiere of “I Am Bolt” at Odeon Leicester Square on November 28, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) -
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 17: Liam Payne performs on stage during the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards at Verti Music Hall on February 17, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Laureus) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 16: Liam Payne arrives at the “All Of Those Voices” UK Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on March 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images )
Liam Payne posts about ‘lovely day’ before death
An insider told Page Six that “Liam had been cycling through periods of ruinous behavior for a long time,” adding that “his demons were much worse than he let on.”
Shortly before his death, Payne claimed he was having a “lovely day in Argentina” in a since-deleted Snapchat story during his vacation with girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Death of ex-One Direction member Liam Payne at 31 shocks fans around the world
Cassidy flew back to Miami on Monday — two days before the tragedy insinuating she’d had enough of the elongated trip (the couple were set to leave weeks before after catching former One Direction Niall Horan’s show in the city but stayed on for 14 more days).
“I was so ready to leave,” Cassidy shared in a TikTok video. “Honestly, love South America but I hate staying in one place for too long. And we were supposed to be there for, like, five days, turned into two weeks… I was just like, ‘I need to go home.’”
Liam Payne struggled with issues linked to Maya Henry
Payne — who has battled drink and drugs for years — was also dealing with his ex.
According to People: “Payne was struggling with issues related to his ex-fiancée, Maya Henry”. A source with knowledge of the situation told the magazine that Payne “was extremely overwhelmed by all of the legal issues” involving Henry.
The Texan model, 23, instructed lawyers to issue a cease and desist letter to Payne a few days earlier, accusing him of “obsessively contacting her friends and family including her mother Azteca Henry”.
Henry posted a video to TikTok that said: ‘Ever since we broke up he messages me, will blow up my phone, not only from his phone, it’s always from different phone numbers too, so I never know where it’s gonna come from.”
‘He’ll create new iCloud accounts to message me — it’s always a new damn iCloud account. Every time I see one pop up on my phone I’m like, “here we f—ing go again”
‘Also, he will email me… not only me, but he’ll blow up my mom’s phone. Is this normal behavior to you?’
Henry also accused Payne of “weaponizing” fans whom he “preys” upon against her.
Liam Payne open about struggles with drugs and alcohol
Since skyrocketing to fame at the age of 16 with One Direction, Payne has been open about his struggles with drugs and alcohol.
Regarding alcohol, Payne told Men’s Journal: “It’s almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was (drunk) quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on.”
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, Payne told host Stephen Bartlett that he had struggled with “severe suicidal thoughts” and heavy drug use while he was in the band.
“I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be,” he said in the interview. “Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it. No one would ever have seen it.
“There is some stuff that I have definitely never, never spoken about… it was really, really, really severe. And it was a problem. And it was only until I saw myself after that, I was like ‘Right, I need to fix myself.’”
Liam Payne and his bandmates all sought solo success after One Direction fame
Payne spent 100 days in a Louisiana rehab in 2023.
Before leaving for Argentina, Payne told fans in an Instagram story that he had things “to square up” with Horan but didn’t get into specifics about it.
Liam Payne died of ‘cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries’
Medical officials confirmed that Payne died of “a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries” sustained in the fall.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” said Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti, according to La Nacion.
The Argentine newspaper also ran pictures from Payne’s damaged hotel room showing drugs, drug paraphernalia, booze and a broken TV.
‘Liam will forever live in our hearts’: Liam Payne’s family
On Thursday, Payne’s family issued a statement to the BBC which read: “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.”
Payne isn’t the only member of One Direction to struggle with fame and a solo career. His former bandmate Zayn Malik has been very public about his anxiety and anorexia issues since leaving the band.