Three individuals have been charged in connection with the tragic death of One Direction star Liam Payne, Argentinian authorities confirmed. The singer, 31, passed away on October 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires.
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office in Argentina revealed that one person accompanying Payne is facing charges of “abandonment of a person followed by death.” A hotel employee and a third individual have been charged with supplying drugs. However, the names of those arrested have not been disclosed.
Payne, a father and former X Factor contestant, gained worldwide fame as a member of the boyband One Direction in the 2010s. Authorities in Argentina have been investigating the circumstances surrounding his death at the CasaSur hotel. After the incident, police discovered substances in his hotel room along with damaged furniture. Earlier reports indicated that hotel staff had called emergency services, saying Payne had taken “too many drugs and alcohol” and was “trashing the entire room.”
Toxicology reports confirmed traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in Payne’s system. A post-mortem examination indicated that his cause of death was “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” from the fall. Medical reports also suggested Payne may have been unconscious or semi-conscious at the time of the fall, ruling out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act.
The investigation continues, with authorities conducting nine raids across Buenos Aires and examining over 800 hours of hotel and street surveillance footage. They are also analyzing Payne’s broken laptop and other seized devices.
Payne’s body was returned to his family on Wednesday to be flown back to the UK. Following his death, tributes poured in from his former partner Cheryl, his One Direction bandmates, and music mogul Simon Cowell. Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Harry Styles expressed their devastation in a joint statement, saying they would miss Payne “terribly” and cherish the “memories we shared with him forever.” Fans worldwide also held memorial events to honor the late singer.
