It was reported on the 16th October 2024 that the former One Direction singer, Liam Payne, had been found dead after falling from the third floor of his hotel room at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, just days after seeing his bandmate, Niall Horan, in concert.
It was concluded that his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, had left Argentina the day before Liam’s death – documenting her journey home on her Snapchat and even pointing out that her plane seat number was “1D”.
Many fans began to wonder if Liam’s girlfriend was involved in his death; however, authorities have since confirmed that Kate leaving Liam the day before his death was not of any concern.
Instead, a 911 call made by a hotel employee stated, about Liam, that they had a man in the hotel lobby who was “drunk and high on drugs” and was not cooperating with their instructions telling him to go back to his room.
Upon photos released by multiple Argentinian news outlets, we can see that Payne’s room was in a complete mess by the time Liam had fallen out of the balcony – including smashed laptop & TV screens, alcohol, and drugs found in multiple parts of the room.
Again, some of the critical questions that began to arise concerned how Liam had gotten hold of the substances. An investigation is currently ongoing as police suspect that an unnamed hotel employee provided the One Direction member with the substances, likely causing him to experience a psychotic episode, causing him to fall off the balcony.
To many, the death is deemed highly suspicious as Payne was dropped by his music label, Universal Music, just days before his death. Fans began to wonder whether Liam was in a stable mental state during the day of his death – Liam had previously checked himself into rehab for his drug and alcohol addiction. Still, he had discharged himself after just two days in the programme. He was allegedly clean for two weeks before his death.
Liam Payne’s preliminary autopsy report states that he died from multiple head traumas and was likely unconscious by the time his body had fallen to the ground, as no signs of defence or preventative measures from the fall were found. The initial and not yet complete toxicology report has found multiple substances in Liam’s bloodstream, including “pink cocaine” – a mix of methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA.
Liam Payne was involved in multiple internet controversies over the past few years – including, more recently, a feud with his ex-fiancée Maya Henry over a book she published, titled “Looking Forward”, outlining, under fictional names, the experience of a woman journaling her experiences of an abusive relationship. Many speculated that this, along with Liam’s label annulling his contract, is what caused Payne’s decision to start using drugs again.
On a more personal note, as someone who has loved One Direction throughout their entire career, ever since it began on X-Factor in 2010, I remember the exact moment I heard the news – it was past 11 pm, and I was in my kitchen as one of my friends from my old school texted me asking if I had seen the news. I stood still as I read up on the very little information we initially had, and for days after, I couldn’t believe it had happened. I felt like a part of my formative years had just been taken away from me, and I found great comfort in talking to other One Direction fans online about the same feelings.
To many, including myself, seeing the arguable downfall of Liam, whilst also remembering his successes as a musician, forms a very confusing kind of grief – finding out that someone from my once favourite boyband was caught up in allegations of abuse already felt crushing enough, but finding out just weeks after that he has passed away, felt like the finishing stroke to the situation.
To me, listening to One Direction and remembering them for what they were will never be the same. One Direction were all teenagers as they began to experience their rise to fame. It is no surprise that their increasing access to as much media coverage as they did caused rapid turmoil in their mental health. Over time, almost all of the members have discussed experiencing difficulties during their time in the boyband. As a result, many fans have expressed that, controversially, they do not wish to see a One Direction reunion – especially now that Liam would no longer be there.
Fans quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) and other social media platforms to mourn Liam’s death and to celebrate his success as a band member, a soloist, and a father. Multiple memorials have since been organised all over the world as a celebration of Liam’s achievements. One Direction members, including the ex-member Zayn Malik, all released statements mourning Liam’s death within the next day.
As we mourn Liam’s death, his family asks for privacy and respect during this time. All the while, One Direction’s albums are set to return to the UK Top 10 charts.
