Liam Payne, former member of the famous boy band One Direction announced dead in Argentina.
Liam Payne, former member of the band, One Direction, also known as 1D, passed away at the age of 31 on Oct.16 when he fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Due to the nature of his death and suspicious circumstances, the reasons behind his death have not been confirmed but details of his autopsy have. Suicide is the most probable assumption, however, officials confirm it is difficult to tell and there is no way to be sure as of right now.
Payne, among Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson formed the band One Direction in 2010, after their solo auditions on The X Factor. The boys were encouraged to come together as a fivesome after being eliminated during boot camp, disclosed US Weekly. Their act together gained them fame with Simon Cowell. In 2010, the boys finished third on the X Factor and signed with Cowell’s Syco record label, reported US Weekly. Zayn announced his leave in 2015, however, the four others carried on. Later in 2015, the rest of the boys announced their launches into solo careers outside of Cowell’s Syco. Many hoped they would get back together as a band and Simon Cowell said he thought the boys would enjoy it more if they got together a second time because they did not have anything to prove, noted US Weekly. Cowell added he knew there would be a demand for it and he believed they would have more reported US Weekly. Cowell and Payne had a close relationship and Cowell even postponed the next episode of Britain’s Got Talent to release a statement concerning Payne’s passing, announced US Weekly.
The autopsy reported that Payne had multiple substances in his system when he fell to his death, reports ABC News. The substances included “pink cocaine” believed to be a recreational drug, consisting of a mix of several drugs such as methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA, cocaine, benzodiazepine, and crack, among others stated ABC News. Furthermore ABC News claimed an “improvised aluminum pipe to ingest drugs was also found in his hotel room.” Payne’s body will remain in Argentina until the autopsy is complete. Before Payne’s death, hotel officials reportedly called the police due to a disturbance by a resident. The worker told emergency services that someone needed to be sent with urgency due to the guest’s room having a balcony and the fear he could threaten his life, reported ABC News. Authorities arrived approximately seven minutes later, however Payne’s body was found in the inner courtyard where he was pronounced dead at the scene, Alerto Crecenti, the director of Buenos Aires Emergency Medical Services, told ABC News. The autopsy as of Oct. 21 reports Payne to have died from multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding, with 25 injuries present on Payne’s body, revealed ABC News. A hotel employee has been suspected of providing Payne with the drugs on the day of his death, Argentinian State Police reports ABC News. Said employee has yet to be arrested or have charges filed.
Fans of Payne and One Direction have been active following his death, asking for a petition of UK lawmakers to enact legislation to safeguard artists’ mental health following the onslaught of hate Payne received, especially in the weeks prior to his death, stated NBC News. A change.org petition has been called Liam’s Law requiring artists to have access to mental health professionals, regular mental health tests and have rest periods, reports NBC News. Blast reports of nearly 75,000 signatures already. In 2021, Blast reports Payne wanted a support system for young artists navigating the industry connecting to his own struggles, emphasizing the necessity of having mental health care in place.
Blast reported Ariana Grande commenting on Payne’s death and the importance of having sufficient help systems in place. Grande said, “A lot of people do not have the support that they need to get through performing at that level at such a young age,” and she believes the environment needs to be made a lot safer, recorded by Blast. Grande added that Hollywood needs to protect child actors as well, reports Blast.
Vigils have been made across the globe for Payne, from Birmingham to Manila, grieving, crying and singing in memory of Payne, reports BBC News. On Oct. 20, it is estimated around 800 to 1,000 fans gathered in London Hyde Park bringing letters, pictures and flowers, reports BBC News. Jamie Parker, 27 was one of the fans gathered and Parker said his mother died from cancer in 2013, with him and his sister relying on the One Direction albums to navigate their grief.
