Liam Payne’s close friend has shared the heartbreaking final conversation they had pop star before he plummeted 45ft to his death from a hotel in Buenos Aires.

Payne suffered a fractured skull after falling from the third floor of Casa Sur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires shortly after 5pm (ART) yesterday evening.

In the wake of the 31-year-old’s death, tributes have flooded in from across the globe as his friends and family mourn.

Ms Richards revealed her tragic correspondence with Payne only hours before his sudden death.

In an interview with Sky News Ms Richards explained that Payne had messaged her to ‘touch base’ and check how everyone was in his hometown of Wolverhampon.

Jodie Richards, who formerly taught Payne performing arts at Pink Productions in Wolverhampton, has revealed their heartbreaking final exchange

She revealed that the pair would often talk  on a nearly daily basis, and the star had ‘touched base’ with her on Monday only days before his death (Pictured: A recreation of the texts)

She divulged that she and the 31-year-old spoke on an almost daily basis for years, as he continued to sky-rocket of fame.

After receiving a photo from the singer with his hand on his head, Ms Richards said: ‘Sorry just home.’

However when news broke of the star’s tragic death in Buenos Aires a few days later,  the close friend sent a series of panicked and heart-breaking texts.

‘Liam!!!,’ the first read, followed by: ‘Please tell me this isn’t true!!!!!!’

Her following tragic messages to the star alsoread: ‘Please Liam.

‘So, I had to Google it. Couldn’t believe what was happening I thought it was fake news.

Liam Payne (pictured in Argentina) may have been ‘semi-conscious or completely unconscious’ when he fatally fell from a third floor hotel balcony, Argentina’s prosecutor office has said

The hotel balcony where Liam Payne fell to his death from in Buenos Aires, Argentina, yesterday is circled

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died aged 31 after falling from a balcony in Argentina

Liam Payne had been staying in Argentina over the last few weeks and was pictured engaging with fans

During his short stay in the city he took time to socialise with fans outside his hotel

Last night, thousands of fans gathered outside the hotel where Liam Payne died

Some were pictured lighting candles and praying for the singer

Others held each sobbing as they paused to remember Mr Payne who was one fifth of the most succesful boy band of the 2010s

‘I tried to phone him, obviously he wasn’t answering. I tried to text him, it wasn’t going to a read message.

Ms Richards also spoke of images of Liam Payne’s dead body which were published by TMZ following his death.

Following backlash from fans, the publication have since removed the images.

‘I think it’s sickening to be fair that  those images have been shown as a friend you don’t want to see them,’ she said.

‘But especially as he has a child out there, he’s got a mum and dad that have had to see those images and they will be circulated for the years to come and that’s not really how you want to remember Liam.’

It comes as  Argentina’s prosecutor office said Liam Payne may have been ‘semi-conscious or completely unconscious’ when he fatally fell from a third floor hotel balcony.

Detectives confirmed that a series of substances were seized from the hotel room ‘indicating previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption’.

It contradicts police reports that the 31-year-old had ‘jumped’ from the third-floor hotel balcony.

His girlfriend Kate Cassidy posted a picture of the pair on her Instagram last August

A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing at his former bandmate Niall Horan’s, where he later posted a picture with Niall to Snapchat captioned: ‘Reunited.’

Liam Payne with his father Geoff and mother Karen after the X Factor final in London in 2010

As well as father Geoff and mother Karen, Payne had two sisters, Nicola (left) and Ruth (right)

Nine weeks ago, Liam Payne’s father Geoff posted a photo of his son and his dog as he penned in the caption: ‘#Like if you love my son!’ – a post which has since been flooded with tributes

Prior to Payne’s death, hotel staff franticly called 911 regarding ‘an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol’ who was ‘smashing up his room’.

Photos have also emerged from inside his luxury suite, appearing to show a trashed television, surfaces covered with tin foil and white powder as well as scorch marks on the wooden surface.

A preliminary report into the popstar’s death said ‘everything indicates’ Payne was alone when he died.

According to local news outlets, Payne was taken to the Judicial Morgue where medical staff conducted an autopsy last night.

After conducting a preliminary report, they suspect into Payne died from external and internal bleeding after sustaining several injuries.

Authorities have requested further tests including toxicological, biochemical, and histopathological examinations.

The prosecutor’s office said forensic reports showed no injuries were observed that suggest third-party involvement and that the autopsy is compatible with a fall from height.

However officials are still launching a probe into the ‘possible involvement of third parties’ in the events before his passing.