Did Liam Payne foresee his death? The One Direction member, who plummeted from his balcony in Argentina on October 16, was interred on Wednesday, November 20, as his unsettling 2010 tweet regarding his funeral gained widespread attention.
“If I died would you come to ma funeral…?” Liam, who was 31 at the time of his death, wrote on Twitter, now known as X, on December 31, 2010.
Fans responded to his grim inquiry after Wednesday's service in England, attended by his former bandmates — Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan.
"They did," one person wrote, referring to Liam's former One Direction bandmates. "They would, they went," another netizen said.
“They all made it to the funeral….May Liam payne Rest in peace as fellow one Direction members show up at his funeral to pay last respect [sic]," a third person wrote on X. "The tragic reunion i didn’t expect to happen in your funeral, Liam. you will be missed. rest in love," a fourth netizen stated.
“They did… they all came. Liam, you’ll always be loved and remembered," another X user penned. “The tragic reunion we never wanted. Rest in peace, Liam Payne," the sixth source responded.
This marked the boys' first reunion in a considerable duration, following a hiatus after Zayn departed from the group, which was established during their participation on "The X Factor" in 2015. Simon Cowell, James Corden, and Payne's family were also present.
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 in Argentina has disclosed the conclusive results of toxicology tests conducted following Liam's demise, E! Online reported.
A translated report indicates that in the 72 hours preceding the demise of the former One Direction vocalist and solo artist, who fell from a three-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he had "alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants" in his system.
The report indicated that the toxicology findings have been communicated to Liam's family, revealing that he exhibited "only traces of polydrug use" according to "the comprehensive toxicology tests on urine, blood, and vitreous humor, conducted in a very brief period."
The officials conducting the autopsy determined that the 31-year-old star's demise resulted from "multiple trauma" and "internal and external hemorrhage," stemming from the fall he experienced from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in the Palermo neighborhood.
Three further studies ordered by a prosecutor further corroborated that the injuries experienced by Liam resulted from a fall at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel from an elevated position and that "self-harm of any kind and/or physical intervention by third parties were excluded."
Furthermore, authorities indicated that Liam failed to assume a "reflex posture" to shield himself from the fall, resulting in the inference that he "may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness."
Specifically, “the absence of defensive or self-preservation reflexes during the fall, coupled with additional pertinent data regarding his consumption, enables us to conclude that Liam Payne was either not fully conscious or was in a state of significant diminished consciousness at the time of the fall.”
The prosecution asserted that they could eliminate the "possibility of a conscious or voluntary act by the victim, as he was in a state where he lacked awareness and comprehension of his actions."
A desperate 911 call made by staff soon before Liam's demise detailed a guest who was "overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol" and "devastating [their] entire room." By the time the police came, Payne had succumbed to his injuries and perished at the site.
Before the announcement of the results, investigators allegedly discovered several illicit substances in Liam's body at the time of death, including a recreational drug known as "pink cocaine," which is a composite of substances frequently comprising ketamine, MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and psychoactive agents.
Liam had previously been forthright with his battles with addiction. In May 2023, he commemorated 100 days of sobriety, stating, “I feel exceptionally well, and the support from the fans has been overwhelmingly positive.”
In 2021, Liam addressed his drug use challenges on the "Diary of a CEO" podcast, elaborating on his battle with depression and substance abuse throughout the tumultuous One Direction years.
Last month, police raided the hotel and allegedly confiscated several items, including computer hard drives and CCTV footage from the property's surveillance cameras.
The press release, alongside the autopsy results, disclosed that three individuals had been apprehended and charged in Argentina about Liam's death due to the discovery of "illicit conduct," resulting in charges of abandonment of a person followed by death and the supply and facilitation of narcotics.
Three individuals were characterized — though not identified — as someone who “accompanied the artist daily during his residence in Buenos Aires,” who faces charges of desertion resulting in death, which carries a possible term of 5 to 15 years of imprisonment.
A second individual was identified as a hotel employee who "must account for two confirmed deliveries of cocaine to Liam Payne during his stay at the hotel." At the same time, a third, allegedly a "drug supplier," has been charged with narcotics distribution.
The investigation into Liam's demise encompassed examining over 800 hours of video surveillance from hotel security cameras and nearby public thoroughfares, alongside a forensic extraction and analysis of the singer's cellphone's contents, including calls, messages, chats, and social media data.
Investigators examined a record of Liam's orders at the hotel bar/restaurant to ascertain the identities of his visitors and their food and drink consumption patterns. Law enforcement recovered multiple terabytes of data from the cell phones of hotel reception staff and other witnesses who willingly provided corroborative testimony.
Braian Nahuel Paiz, a hotel employee, is keen to assist law enforcement in elucidating the circumstances behind Liam's unfortunate demise.
"I want to contribute everything: my phone, everything to the investigation. I have nothing that can harm me. … The other thing is to contribute what I saw personally and what I experienced firsthand," he stated in an interview, as per Deadline.
Braian stated that he has not yet provided testimony but anticipates justice will prevail. He acknowledged spending time with Liam at his hotel but maintained that he "did not provide" him with any narcotics.
"We met up with Liam, [it was] chill. We met, we listened to some music. He asked me what kind of music I liked, hip hop or dance. I told him dance. The person who was there before [me], I suppose, left him the box of soap and everything [that smuggled the drugs up to his room]," the former hotel employee claimed.
Upon an individual's arrival at the hotel room later, Braian stated that Liam instructed him to depart.
"I don’t know what was going on, what was that. I realized, because I had my back turned and he turned around, what was going on. I turned around, got up, opened the door and there was no one," he went on.
Braian subsequently became aware of Liam's fall. "It was exceedingly poor." He revealed that he experienced profound sadness and significant difficulties at work. "It demanded all of my resources."
