BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) 鈥� Argentine authorities of former One Direction singer , who died Oct. 16 at age 31 after falling 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� as solo acts and were brought together by judge Simon Cowell. With their loyal fan base of 鈥淒irectioners" they became one of the most successful boy bands of all time.
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 with concerns about a guest who they say was 鈥渙verwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.鈥� Police rushed to the hotel and 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.
Police seize hotel computer drives and video
Just over a week after his death, a police special investigations unit went to the hotel and from hotel cameras, a government official told The Associated Press, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren鈥檛 authorized to speak publicly.
Argentina鈥檚 public prosecution is investigating the case 鈥� which is not uncommon when a death is sudden or unexpected.
Initial investigations suggest that the musician was alone and experiencing a 鈥渂reakdown鈥�
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�
Cocaine was in Payne's system, but it's not clear what role it played
An Argentine official said Payne had cocaine in his system when he fell and died, according to an initial toxicology report. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists, emphasized that the preliminary reports don't give an accurate reading of how much was in Payne's system. The final toxicology results are not expected to be made public for some weeks.
that his injuries were consistent with his three-story fall from the hotel window. Officials have ruled out anyone else being involved in his death, and all signs point to him being alone in the room. Authorities did say that they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne in his hotel room hours before his fall.
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. 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.
Payne's father comes to Argentina
Payne's father, Geoff Payne, two days after his son's death to arrange for the return of his son's body to England.
Geoff Payne visited the morgue to identify the body before heading to the local prosecutor鈥檚 office to organize the repatriation of his son鈥檚 remains, Argentine authorities said.
He later stopped at the hotel where Liam Payne died to collect his son鈥檚 belongings. Throngs of distraught Argentines had gathered at the site for the third straight day to pay their respects.
Payne's death spark media ethics questions
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 return requests for comment.
Here's how One Direction reacted to Payne's death
The surviving 鈥� Horan, Tomlinson, Styles and Malik 鈥� put out a statement saying they are 鈥渃ompletely devastated.鈥�
鈥淚n 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,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淭he memories we shared with him will be treasured forever."
postponed a U.S. tour that was planned for the weeks after Payne's death. He, and also on their Instagram pages, each writing about their close friendships with Payne.
Malik and Tomlinson addressed Payne directly in their statements, each of them calling him their brother. Tomlinson wrote that he wants to 鈥渂e the Uncle鈥� for Payne's 7-year-old son, Bear, and plans to 鈥渢ell him stories of how amazing his dad was.鈥�
Payne had his son, , with his former girlfriend, the , in 2017. He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
___
Associated Press Writer Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires and AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed. Huamani reported from Los Angeles.
___
This story initially ran on Oct. 17 and was updated on Oct. 24.
Kaitlyn Huamani And Isabel Debre, The Associated Press
