Liam Payne Did Not Commit Suicide, Argentine Officials Say

Despite rumors to the contrary, Liam Payne did not commit suicide, prosecutors in Argentina have ruled. Instead, they say that the former member of boy band One Direction was likely unconscious when he fell from a third-floor balcony at a Buenos Aires, and that three people have been arrested and charged in connection with his death.

Liam Payne died on October 16 at age 31, shocking those who believed the singer’s life was on the upswing. The one time X Factor contestant was chosen to join One Direction in 2010, swiftly transitioning from life as an everyman to part of one of the best-selling boy bands ever. The wildly popular group went on hiatus in 2016, with several members pursuing solo projects. Meanwhile, Payne’s life grew more complicated, with allegations of drug use and claims of harassment by his former fiancee overshadowing his musical aspirations.

In a video posted to YouTube in July of 2023, Payne announced a renewed commitment to sobriety following a 100-day stint in a rehab facility. The singer had “some amazing people around me that kind of look after me,” he said in the confessional, seemingly alluding to companions enlisted to support his recovery.

He released a solo song, “Teardrops,” in March, but months later, reports the LA Times, he parted ways with his label, Capitol Records. Another Payne single, entitled “Do No Wrong,” has been withheld from release after Payne’s family protested its posthumous drop.

At some point in recent months, Payne’s hard-fought recovery appears to have suffered a setback. Results of a toxicology test released to ABC News a few days after Payne’s death showed signs of cocaine, benzodiazepine, and crack, as well as so-called “pink cocaine”, a drug cocktail that typically includes MDMA, ketamine, and meth.

That latter drug wasn’t mentioned in the official autopsy report released this week by prosecutor Andrés Madrea. Instead, the report revealed “traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant.” His death, Madrea says, was a result of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” from the three-floor fall.

According to Madrea, officials do not believe that Payne’s death was intentional. As the singer “did not adopt a reflex posture” as one does instinctively even during a purposeful jump, “it can be inferred that he may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”

“Three supplementary medical-legal reports confirmed that all injuries were consistent with a high fall, ruling out self-harm or third-party involvement,” Madrea’s statement read. “In light of this, forensic psychiatry experts were consulted to determine whether Payne may have been in a diminished or unconscious state at the time of the fall, which the prosecutor believes negates the possibility of voluntary action on his part.”

After an investigation that included analysis of over 800 hours of security video from cameras inside and near the hotel, an inspection of the contents of Payne’s cell phone, and interviews with “several dozen” people including hotel staff and Payne’s friends and family, three people were arrested and charged with “the crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death” as well as “supply and facilitation of narcotics,” Madrea says.

Those suspects weren’t named, but according to Madrea, one was a hotel worker who twice obtained cocaine for Payne, a second is someone who provided Payne with drugs twice on October 14, and a third is someone who was with Payne “daily” during his Buenos Aires visit.

Rogelio “Roger” Nores, an investment company founder who reportedly grew close to Payne after meeting him at a party in 2020, has said via statement that though he was traveling with Payne at the time of his death, that latter person isn’t him. “I never abandoned Liam,” the Argentine millionaire told the Daily Mail. “I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen.”

“I’ve given my statement to the prosecutor on October 17 as a witness and I haven’t spoken to any police officer or prosecutor ever since,” he said. “I wasn’t Liam’s manager he was just my very dear friend.”

On Wednesday, Payne’s body was flown back to the UK, where it was released to his family, the BBC reports. The Sun reports that a date for his funeral has been set, but details on a plan for his memorial have yet to be publicly announced.