Unpublished photographs from Liam Payne's final hours at the Buenos Aires hotel where he died have come to light, showing moments from the day before his death.
The Daily Mail obtained around 3,000 photographs, documents, witness statements and reports from Argentine police authorities, including hotel security camera footage. Payne died after falling from the balcony of his third-floor room.
What the photos show
In one image, Payne is seen walking through the hotel premises. Another shows him performing acrobatics on a pole outside the hotel on the night before his death.
The singer is also seen talking with hotel staff and later socializing with two women in the reception area, whom police identified as sex workers. According to the documents, Payne sent a message and a photograph to one of the two women on the morning of the day he died.
Cause of death
The 31-year-old singer died on October 16, 2024, when he fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room. According to the forensic examination, the fall occurred as he was trying to leave his room after consuming alcohol and drugs.
A toxicology test showed he had taken crack, cocaine and a sedative, and was also under the influence of what is known as "pink cocaine."
Charges brought against five people
Months after his death, authorities charged five people over the case. Among them were hotel director Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi and the singer's friend Rogelio "Roger" Nores, who faced charges of negligent homicide.
Argentine waiter Braian Paiz and hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra were charged with supplying drugs to Payne.
Some charges later dropped
In February 2025, the charges against Nores were withdrawn. He had been accused of abandoning his friend and failing to inform his family that he had relapsed. Nores had denied that he abandoned Payne.
Charges against Martin and Grassi were also dropped. Paiz and Pereyra are still awaiting trial.
Rise to fame with One Direction
Liam Payne became known in 2010 when, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, he formed One Direction through the talent show The X Factor. The band released five albums before its members pursued solo careers in 2016.
