What do we know so far about Liam Payne’s death?

Liam Payne’s death at the age of 31 shocked One Direction fans and casual pop listeners alike. It also left them with a lot of questions. Payne died on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina, where he was vacationing. More details emerged in the hours that followed through police reports and Payne’s own Snapchat posts. Meanwhile, increasing legal problems and allegations from 23-year-old ex-Maya Henry complicated the reaction online. Authorities have reportedly investigated three people so far.

Payne had been in Argentina for at least two weeks. He was spotted at ex-bandmate Niall Horan’s concert on October 2nd. The day before, Payne said on his Snapchat story that he and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy were going on vacation to Argentina to see Horan play. “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken,” he said. “We have a lot to discuss. Um, and I’d like to clear a few things up with the boy. No bad vibes or anything, but we just need to talk.”

Hours before his death, Payne posted a series of pictures and videos from his trip on his Snapchat story. “I’m glad I had some time,” he wrote with a red heart emoji. Some of the posts are from days before, People noticed one of him having breakfast with Cassidy and talking about his plans to play polo. (Some of the posts were not from a hotel, and Payne said in another post that they were staying at her “dear friend Gon’s” house.) Cassidy left Argentina on October 14 and said on TikTok that they had originally planned to remain. for about five days.” Payne’s last Snapchat photo, which shows him and Cassidy in swimsuits, actually comes from an Instagram post of hers in August 2023.

Argentine multimillionaire Rogelio “Roger” Nores told the story Daily Mail that he went to the hotel of his “very dear friend” Payne three times on the day of his death. He claimed that when he left the hotel 40 minutes before Payne’s death, there were more than 15 people in the lobby “chatting and joking” with the singer.

On October 16, around 5 p.m., a manager at the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires called police about “a guest high on drugs and alcohol.” (Payne said in July 2023 that he had completed a 100-day stint in rehab.) “He’s quitting,” the manager said, according to a recording obtained by Argentine CNN affiliate Todo Noticias. “He’s tearing the whole room apart.” The manager noted that the guest’s room had a balcony and added, “We’re a little afraid he’s going to do something.”

After the call, police arrived at the hotel and found Payne had fallen from his third-floor balcony. Paramedics confirmed his death at the scene, police told The Associated Press. In the statement, police said Payne “jumped from the balcony of his room.” The head of the rescue service, Alberto Crescenti, told the local newspaper La Nation that first responders were unable to attempt to revive Payne at the scene because of his injuries. A preliminary autopsy lists the cause of death as “internal and external bleeding.”

Yes. According to ABC News, Argentine prosecutors confirmed on November 7 that three unnamed people were being investigated in connection with Payne’s death. Authorities have arrested a suspected drug dealer and a hotel employee, both of whom are accused of supplying Payne with narcotics that were in his system at the time of his death (an autopsy reportedly confirmed the presence of a number of drugs, including a mixture of Substances called “pink cocaine”). A third person, described as a friend of Payne’s, also reportedly faces a charge of “abandonment of a person resulting in death,” which carries a possible prison sentence of five to 15 years.

TMZ was one of the first networks to report Payne’s death. In its first post, the media published cropped photos of Payne’s body – supposedly to identify him based on his tattoos. “We’re not showing the whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoos – a clock on his left forearm and a scorpion on his stomach,” TMZ originally wrote. The decision was immediately heavily criticized online. “You are disgusting @TMZ,” tweeted singer Alessia Cara. TMZ has since removed the photos and edited the post to say that the outlet “saw a photo showing Liam’s body” without apologizing or explaining the change.

Days before Payne’s death, his ex-fiancée Maya Henry’s lawyers sent him a cease-and-desist letter about repeated attempts to contact her. “Maya Henry issued a cease and desist letter to Liam Payne last week after new and concerning information emerged,” her lawyers told the newspaper Daily Mail on October 14th. A source told People After Payne’s death, he said he was “extremely overwhelmed” by all the legal issues with Henry. They began dating in 2018 after Payne split from Cheryl Cole. Payne confirmed his engagement to Henry in 2020; They separated in 2022.

Henry published the novel earlier this year I’m looking forward toa book about a woman who dates a pop star that she says is “inspired by true events.” While promoting the book, she talked about having an abortion after an ex told her to have one – an experience she recounted People was “very similar” to her character. Earlier this month, Henry claimed on TikTok that an unnamed ex, who she associates with “One Direction fans,” had been harassing her. “Since we broke up he’s been texting me and will blow up my phone – not just from be Phone; It always comes from different phone numbers too, so I never know where it’s coming from,” she said in an Oct. 6 video. Henry also claimed that Payne would create new iCloud accounts to send her messages and even contacted her mother. “Every time I see one pop up on my phone I think: It’s fucking starting again” she said.