Authorities have revealed what was in Liam Payne‘s system at his time of death.
An initial autopsy shared by Argentine officials found that the former One Direction member died on Oct. 16 at the age of 31 due to injuries sustained from a fatal fall off a third-story balcony at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Now, toxicology tests are shedding additional light on his final hours.
The report found that Payne “only had traces of polydrug use” in his system, according to a Nov. 7 press release from Argentina’s public prosecutor translated from Spanish. Tests conducted on his urine, blood and eyes determined that alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant were in his body when he died.
Authorities stated that the toxicology results have already been communicated to his family.
Officials also concluded that Liam was not likely fully conscious at the time of his fall because there were not signs of self-defense.
“This situation would also rule out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on the part of the victim,” authorities said via Spanish translation, “since, in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing nor could he understand it.”
Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti also confirmed that Liam’s injuries were so severe “the team could do absolutely nothing.”
Gareth Cattermole/MTV EMAs 2017/Getty Images for MTV“There was no resuscitation because it was confirmed that he had died,” he continued. “The whole body had very serious injuries.”
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 said they’d found “substances” inside Liam’s room that “at first glance” could be narcotics and alcoholic beverages. Investigators also found “several destroyed objects and furniture” in the hotel room as well.
Shortly before his death, a staff member from the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel—who identified himself as the head of reception—had called police to report a hotel guest’s destructive behavior.
Dave Benett/Getty Images“We have a guest who is overindulged in drugs and alcohol,” the caller told the police operator, according to a transcription of the call obtained by Telemundo from local media in Argentina. “Well, when he is conscious, he breaks—he is breaking the whole room.”
While he did not mention Liam by name, he expressed concern for the guest’s safety, saying, “We need someone to be sent to us urgently, because—well, I don’t know if he is at risk. The guest is in a room that has a balcony and we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening.”
Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear ChannelArgentina prosecutors announced Nov. 7 that three people had been charged in his death case for crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death, supply and facilitation of narcotics.
The “Teardrops” singer had been in Argentina for a vacation with girlfriend Kate Cassidy—who had left for Florida on Oct. 12—during which they watched former bandmate Niall Horan perform in Buenos Aires on Oct. 2.
While Liam and Niall had risen to fame as members of One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, Liam had been candid about how difficult that time in his life had been, causing him to struggle with drugs and alcohol and become “an angry person.”
“I was, because there was points where it was toxic and it was difficult,” he said on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021. “Don’t get me wrong, we had the best time ever, we did, but there was moments, where…You don’t realize you have a choice at that point.”
Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Atlantis The RoyalHe added that there was a “sacrifice” to be made for the level of fame he experienced, although he did realize that he was ultimately responsible for his actions.
“Being an alcoholic, doing whatever else, that was my choice,” he said. “So it doesn’t have to be whiny, but I know it was a sacrifice to be here.”
Liam—who shared 7-year-old son Bear Grey Payne with his ex Cheryl Cole—added that his mental health issues became “really, really, really severe,” and he knew “it was a problem.”
In 2023, Liam shared that he had completed a 100-day stint at a rehab center in Louisiana, saying in a YouTube video at the time he “needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore.”
“I just think I took it out on everybody else,” he continued, “which is just wrong really, and my own frustrations with my own career and where I kind of landed, so obviously I want to apologize for that.”
Following his death, his fellow One Direction members shared a heartfelt message to their “brother.”
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they wrote in a joint statement posted to One Direction’s Instagram Oct. 17. “In 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.”
For more information on his death, keep reading.
Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImageWhen did Liam Payne die?
Liam Payne died in Argentina on Oct. 16, 2024, el Sistema de Atención Médica de Emergencias (SAME) confirmed to Telemundo. He was 31 years old.
Bill McCay/Getty ImagesHow did Liam Payne die?
The singer suffered a fatal fall “from the balcony of the third-floor room of the hotel in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo where he was staying,” according to an Oct. 17 release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 translated from Spanish to English.
An autopsy was performed, the release continued, and determined Payne died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” as a result of the fall.
While the release said that, “as a matter of protocol, the circumstances of the case are being investigated as a ‘doubtful death,'”—meaning there was no conclusive information about the cause of death, per NBC News—it noted that “everything indicates the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and was going through some kind of outbreak due to substance abuse.”
Payne has spoken about his battle with sobriety in the past, sharing in a July 2023 YouTube video that he’d attended treatment for about 100 days and that he hadn’t had a drink in about six months.
Karwai Tang/WireImageDid Liam Payne die by suicide?
Authorities do not believe he died by suicide, with a Nov. 7 press release from Argentina’s public prosecutor stating that he was not likely to be fully conscious when he fell.
“This situation would also rule out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on the part of the victim,” it said via Spanish translation, “since, in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing nor could he understand it.”
JC Olivera/Getty Images
What else did Liam Payne’s autopsy say?
According to the release, coroners reported 25 injuries in Payne’s autopsy that were “compatible with those caused by a fall from height.”
“They also pointed out that the head injuries were sufficient to cause death,” the release continued, “while the internal and external hemorrhages in the skull, thorax, abdomen and limbs contributed to the mechanism of death.”
In addition, the release said forensic experts found “no defensive injuries” after examining the One Direction alum and that “no injuries were observed that would suggest the intervention of third parties.”
Still, questions remain—including about the state Payne may have been in at the time of his fall.
“The prosecution said that, given the position in which the body was left and the injuries from the fall,” the release added, “it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
As medical examiners seek more answers, the release noted, they’ve requested histopathological, biochemical and toxicological studies.
“At this point,” the release read, “the analysis of the stomach contents, alcohol and toxins in the blood, vitreous humor, bile, nasal swab and urine for the determination of alcohol and toxins was required.”
A preliminary toxicology report revealed Payne had drugs in his system at his time of death, an official with direct knowledge told The New York Times.
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty ImagesWhat kind of drugs did Liam Payne have in his system?
Toxicology testing revealed that he had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body, according to a Nov. 7 press release from Argentina’s public prosecutor.
Tim P. Whitby/Tim P. Whitby/Getty ImagesWhat have authorities shared about the events prior to Liam Payne’s fall?
Based on prosecutors’ reconstruction, the release said, it appears Payne fell from the balcony of his third-floor room at the CasaSur Palermo hotel at 5:07 p.m. local time. “Minutes earlier,” the release continued, the hotel called 911 “to ask for help for a guest who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and had destroyed some objects in the room.”
“When SAME and officers from the 14B Neighborhood Police Station of the City Police arrived,” the release added, “Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died on the spot due to the severity of his injuries.”
As for what authorities found upon searching the room, the release said police discovered substances that appear to be narcotics and alcoholic beverages—though, it was noted confirmation from experts is still needed. The document also stated that there were “several destroyed objects and furniture.”
Authorities are also looking into who had been in the room before Payne’s fall, with the release noting “five testimonial statements were taken from three hotel workers and two women who, in the hours prior, had been with the musician in his room, but had already left the hotel when the incident occurred.”
“The prosecution said that beyond reconstructing the circumstances of the musician’s death,” the release said, “the investigation is also aimed at determining the possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to the victim’s death.”
Dave J Hogan/Getty ImagesWhat was said on the 911 call placed before Liam Payne’s death?
In audio of a 911 call obtained by Telemundo from local media in Argentina, a hotel employee can be heard asking authorities for assistance.
“We have a guest who is overindulged in drugs and alcohol,” the caller said, per NBC News’ translation. “Well, when he is conscious he breaks. He is breaking the whole room. Well, we need you to send someone, please.”
The employee then further expressed concern.
“We need someone to be sent to us urgently, because—well, I don’t know if he is at risk,” the individual added. “The guest is in a room that has a balcony and we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening.”
The employee did not name Payne on the call. NBC News reached out to Payne’s rep for comment but did not hear back.
Instagram / Katie CassidyHave arrests been made in connection to Liam Payne’s death?
Argentina’s public prosecutor announced Nov. 7 that three people have been charged in the case after “illicit conduct was discovered,” per a press release translated from Spanish.
“The first of the accused is the person who accompanied the artist on a daily basis during his stay in the city of Buenos Aires, who is charged with the crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death,” read the statement. “The second defendant is a hotel employee who must answer for two proven supplies of cocaine to Liam Payne during the period he was at the hotel, and the third, also a drug supplier, is accused of two other clearly proven supplies during two different times on October 14.”
The latter two were each charged with two acts of supplying narcotics.
Instagram/Kate CassidyWhat had Liam Payne shared prior to his death?
Payne had been vacationing in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy and had documented their trip prior to his death.
Photos and videos shared to the “Strip That Down” artist’s Snapchat account showed the couple spending quality time together, eating breakfast, talking about his plans to ride horses and having what he described as a “lovely day” in Argentina days before his fatal fall, per screenshots by NBC News. The final photo shared to Payne’s Snapchat account on the day of his death was a photo of him and Cassidy in their swimsuits.
Payne and Cassidy had noted on social media that she was heading back to Florida to be with their dog Nala while he was staying in Argentina.
“I was so ready to leave,” Cassidy said in an Oct. 14 TikTok video that showed her traveling back to the U.S. “Honestly, love South America but I hate staying in one place for too long. And we were supposed to be there for, like, five days, turned into two weeks, and I was just like, ‘I need to go home.'”
After Payne’s death, Cassidy expressed how she was at a “complete loss” and how “nothing about the past few days have felt real.”
“Liam, my angel,” she wrote in part of an Oct. 18 Instagram post. “You are everything. I want you do know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”
Dave J Hogan/Getty ImagesWhat has One Direction said about Liam Payne’s death?
After Payne’s death, his One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan expressed their heartache.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” the group wrote on Instagram in a joint message Oct. 17. “In 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.”
One Direction was formed on The X Factor in 2010, and achieved huge success before the band members parted ways in 2015.
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” Styles, Malik, Tomlinson and Horan continued. “For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
In addition to the group statement, the four singers released individual tributes.
“The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime,” Horan, who hosted a concert in Buenos Aires on Oct. 2 that Payne had attended, wrote in part of an Oct. 18 Instagram post. “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”
Malik also announced on Oct. 19 that he’s postponing the U.S. leg of his tour “given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week.”
Several stars, family members and friends have also honored Payne (read their tributes here).
Mike Marsland/WireImageWhen will fans get more answers to questions regarding Liam Payne’s death?
The criminal case is ongoing and authorities have continued to seek more answers in the weeks after his passing.
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 said in an Oct. 22 release that its head Andrés Esteban Madrea informed Payne’s father, Geoff, that toxicological and histopathological studies relating to the “Teardrops” artist’s death had yet to be completed. These results—the release, translated from Spanish to English continued—are “necessary to decide on the release” Payne’s body.
Madrea also told Geoff that “prosecution is not aware to date of other studies or laboratory analyses,” the release added, “and has not released any type of specific technical report outside the exclusive framework of the investigation and the judicial process corresponding to this case.”
In terms of other efforts, the release noted “expert reports are being carried out on cell phones, computers, photographs and videos from security cameras that require a longer analysis time.”
“Numerous statements were also taken to reconstruct the victim’s final hours and the scene of the events,” the release stated, “a process that is still ongoing with hotel workers, acquaintances, technical and medical professionals, and other people linked to the victim through their work.”
