Liam Payne’s death at 31 shocked One Direction fans and casual pop listeners alike. It has also left them with many questions. Payne died on October 16 after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Argentina, where he had been vacationing. More details emerged in the hours since via police reports and Payne’s own Snapchat posts. Meanwhile, mounting legal issues and allegations from 23-year-old ex Maya Henry complicated the response online. Authorities have reportedly investigated three people so far.
Why was Payne in Argentina?
Payne had been in Argentina for at least two weeks. He was seen at ex-bandmate Niall Horan’s concert on October 2. The day before, Payne said on his Snapchat Story that he and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, were going to Argentina on vacation to see Horan play. “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken,†he said. “We’ve got a lot to talk about. Um, and I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that, but just, um, we need to talk.â€
What happened before he died?
Hours before his death, Payne posted a number of images and videos from his trip to his Snapchat Story. “Happy I got some time away,†he wrote in one with a red-heart emoji. A few of the posts were from days before, People noted, like 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 they’d been staying at their “lovely friend Gon’s house.â€) Cassidy left Argentina on October 14, saying on TikTok that they had originally planned to stay “for, like, five days.†Payne’s final Snapchat photo, of him and Cassidy in swimsuits, was actually from an August 2023 Instagram post of hers.
Argentinian multimillionaire Rogelio “Roger†Nores told Daily Mail that he had gone to his “very dear friend†Payne’s hotel 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.
Around 5 p.m. on October 16, a manager at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires called the police about “a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.†(Payne said in July 2023 that he’d finished a 100-day stay in rehab.) “He breaks things up,†the manager said, per a recording obtained by CNN’s Argentina affiliate, Todo Noticias. “He is tearing the whole room apart.†The manager noted that the guest’s room had a balcony, adding, “We’re a little afraid that he’ll do something.â€
How did Payne die?
After the call, police arrived to the hotel to find Payne had fallen from his third-floor balcony. Medics confirmed his death at the scene, police told the Associated Press. In the statement, police said Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.†Emergency-services chief Alberto Crescenti told the local newspaper La Nación that first responders could not attempt to resuscitate Payne at the scene because of his injuries. A preliminary autopsy lists his cause of death as “internal and external hemorrhage.â€
Has anyone been accused of having something to do with his death?
Yes. The Argentinian Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on November 7 that three unnamed people are being investigated in connection to Payne’s death, per ABC News. Authorities have arrested an alleged drug dealer and a hotel maintenance worker, who are both accused of supplying Payne with narcotics that were in his system when he died (an autopsy reportedly confirmed the presence of a number of drugs, including a mix of substances known as “pink cocaineâ€). A third person, described as a friend of Payne’s, reportedly also faces a charge for “abandonment of a person followed by death,†which carries a potential prison sentence of five to 15 years.
What did TMZ do?
TMZ was one of the first outlets to report news of Payne’s death. In its initial post, the outlet included cropped photos of Payne’s body — ostensibly to identify him by 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 abdomen,†TMZ originally wrote. The decision was immediately and roundly criticized online. “You’re gross @TMZ,†singer Alessia Cara tweeted. TMZ since removed the photos, editing the post to say the outlet “has seen a photo showing Liam’s body,†with no apology or explanation for the change.
What was going on with Maya Henry, Payne’s ex?
Days before Payne’s death, lawyers for his ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, sent him a cease-and-desist letter over repeated attempts to contact her. “Maya Henry issued a cease and desist last week to Liam Payne following the emergence of new and concerning information,†her lawyers told the Daily Mail on October 14. A source told People following Payne’s death that he “was extremely overwhelmed by all of the legal issues†with Henry. They began dating in 2018 following Payne’s split from Cheryl Cole. Payne confirmed his engagement to Henry in 2020; they broke up in 2022.
Earlier this year, Henry published the novel Looking Forward, a book about a woman dating a pop star that she says is “inspired by true events.†While promoting the book, she opened up about having an abortion after an ex told her to get one — an experience she told People was “very similar†to her character’s. Earlier this month, Henry claimed on TikTok that an unnamed ex she associates with “One Direction fans†had been harassing her. “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,†she said in an October 6 video. Henry also claimed that Payne would create new iCloud accounts to message her and even contacted her mother. “Every time I see one pop up on my phone, I’m like, Here we fucking go again,†she said.