The same day One Direction alum Liam Payne fell to his death from the third floor of a hotel, police in Argentina received a 911 call of an “aggressive man” at the hotel.
More details have surfaced about the circumstances surrounding Liam Payne‘s tragic death.
The former One Direction member died Oct. 16 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, authorities from El Sistema de Atención Médica de Emergencias (SAME) confirmed to Telemundo.
The emergency medical service organization stated that police had received a report that afternoon about the same hotel in the Palermo neighborhood. Police were “directed to the hotel by a 911 call reporting an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” according to SAME.
Authorities have not confirmed if drugs or alcohol were actually involved.
Payne had been staying in Argentina for over two weeks, spending time with girlfriend Kate Cassidy—who shared on Oct. 14 that she was returning back to Florida—and attending a concert of former bandmate Niall Horan on Oct. 2.
E! News has reached out to SAME and Payne’s rep for comment but has not heard back.
Following news of the singer’s passing, many in the music community offered tributes, including Harry Styles‘ mom Anne Twist, who saw Payne grow up in the spotlight alongside Styles and band members Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
“Just a boy,” Twist wrote on Instagram Oct. 16 alongside a heartbreak emoji. Meanwhile, singer Charlie Puth noted that “Liam was always so kind to me” in a message shared to his Instagram Story.
“He was one of the first major artists I got to work with,” Puth wrote, referring to Payne’s 2017 single “Bedroom Floor.” He added, “I can not believe he is gone.”
Before launching his solo career, Payne got his start on The X Factor in 2010 when he was grouped with the four other teens to form One Direction (though Payne’s dad Geoff Payne had suggested the name Unique Selling Point).
The British boy band went on to record the smash hits including “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Best Song Ever,” “Night Changes” and “Live While We’re Young,” selling 50 million records in total.
But his life performing on the road led him down a path of drugs and alcohol, with Payne admitting he would be “locked” in a hotel room with a minibar. He eventually spent 100 days in rehab, sharing in July 2023 that he was six months sober.
“I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually,” Payne noted at the time, “because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore.”
