BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) 鈥� Argentine authorities of former One Direction singer , who died Wednesday at age 31 after falling three stories from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Payne was a beloved member of the group, which 鈥� Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik 鈥� auditioned for 鈥淭he X-Factor鈥� singing competition series as solo acts and were brought together by judge Simon Cowell to form the band. They became one of the most successful boy bands of all time, with a loyal fan base of 鈥淒irectioners鈥� and a meteoric rise to fame on par with Beatlemania.
Here is what we know 鈥� and what remains unknown 鈥� about the star's untimely death.
Police responded to hotel staff鈥檚 911 call minutes before Payne鈥檚 fall
Hotel staff at the in the chic Palermo neighborhood of Argentina鈥檚 capital where Payne was staying called the police Wednesday evening with concerns about a guest who they say was 鈥渙verwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.鈥� Police rushed to the hotel and responded to the call just after 5 p.m. local time and they later confirmed they arrived just minutes before the fall.
The hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call obtained by The Associated Press saying the guest was 鈥渄estroying the entire room鈥� and added, "We need you to send someone, please.鈥� The manager鈥檚 voice became more anxious as the call went on, noting the room had a balcony.
Prosecutors categorize Payne's death as 鈥渟uspicious鈥� 鈥� here's why
Officials said Payne's fall injuries alone were enough to cause his death, but prosecutors described Payne鈥檚 case as 鈥渟uspicious,鈥� citing the likelihood that the star had been drinking alcohol and taking drugs. The office also confirmed all signs pointed to Payne being alone at the time of the incident and authorities have ordered a toxicology report.
Whether the fall was intentional or accidental remains unknown, but the public prosecutor said the lack of defensive injuries on Payne鈥檚 hands indicated that 鈥渉e did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.鈥�
Police: Payne's hotel room was found in "complete disarray鈥�
Buenos Aires police said they found Payne鈥檚 hotel room 鈥渋n complete disarray.鈥� They saw 鈥渧arious items broken鈥� and recovered packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn among his belongings.
Forensics teams also reported that authorities recovered a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone from the internal courtyard where Payne鈥檚 body was found. Evidence collected from the scene, a statement from Argentine authorities added, suggested Payne 鈥渨as going through some kind of substance abuse episode.鈥�
In recent years, Payne had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
Authorities continue to investigate Payne's death
As police and prosecutors await the results of the toxicology report, they are continuing the investigation and trying to reconstruct Payne's final moments. Authorities said they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne in his hotel room hours before his fall. The two women had left the hotel by the time of the incident, the prosecution said.
Payne's death spark media ethics questions as fake content swirls
TMZ, a celebrity news site known for its scoops and tabloid sensibilities, initially included cropped photos of Payne's body after the fall that featured his identifying tattoos in their early reporting Wednesday. After receiving swift backlash, the site pulled the photos.
In the updated version of the story, the outlet wrote, 鈥淭MZ has seen a photo showing Liam鈥檚 body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby鈥� and proceeded to describe the tattoos and how the image helped to confirm early reports of Payne's death.
Fans took to social media to express outrage at the outlet for its decision to share the photos.
TMZ did not immediately return requests for comment.
The photos are still circulating on social media, as well as a video of a man jumping from a building on fire that users are mistakenly taking as a video of Payne鈥檚 fall. Several other videos of falls or jumps from balconies have been circulating, as well. X鈥檚 鈥渃ommunity notes鈥� feature, where readers can provide context and 鈥� in this case 鈥� debunk falsely represented content, are present on several, but not all posts.
Here's how One Direction reacted to Payne's death
The surviving 鈥� Horan, Tomlinson, Styles and Malik 鈥� put out a statement Thursday saying they are 鈥渃ompletely devastated鈥� by Payne's death.
"In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,鈥� their statement concluded.
and also shared individual tributes on their Instagram pages Thursday, each writing again that Payne was a brother to them.
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Huamani reported from Los Angeles.
Kaitlyn Huamani And Isabel Debre, The Associated Press
