Liam Payne death update: Everything we know so far

Liam Payne was pronounced dead on site when he fell from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel on Wednesday, October 16th.

The One Direction star, 31, was on vacation with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, for the past two weeks, also with the intention to catch up with his former bandmate Niall Horan. 

The tragic incident took place just two days after Cassidy, 25, flew back to Miami in a rush, citing homesickness.

Where Was Liam Payne's Body Found?

Liam's body landed in the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, which was cordoned off with forensic investigators seen entering and exiting in white protective suits and blue gloves.

The singer was confirmed dead upon medics' arrival as he appeared to have suffered a fracture at the base of his skull.

 "He had injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall. There was no way to do anything," Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system told an Argentinian local TV channel.

Crescenti added that the slain musician had fallen around 13-14 metres from his hotel room balcony. 

An autopsy is now underway as part of the investigation.

Hotel's 911 Just Before Liam Payne's Tragic Fall:

Payne had been reported to a 911 operator over erratic behaviour in the hotel lobby moments before his 40-foot balcony fall. 

Tmhe Buenos Aires hotel manager had requested urgent assistance as the singer reportedly smashed his laptop in the lobby and had to be carried back to his room.

“We have a guest who’s off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come,” the head of reception told the 911 dispatcher at around 5 pm local time.

He phoned back after the line went dead, repeating his request to the female responder, and claiming, “I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger.

“The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something.”

It is unclear if the death resulted due to suicide or murder.

Ex-fiancee in shock after discrediting singer's suicide warnings

Maya Henry recently accused the singer of stalking and manipulating her for attention. 

Henry, who has been heavily promoting her book Looking Forward—presumably based on the pop star—recently shed light on getting suicide warnings in a Monday podcast.

As per an insider, the Texan model, 23, is "in a shock" after discovering that the warnings she was branding as a "manipulation tactic" came true.

The author, 23, only found out when a member of her team was contacted by a reporter, Daily Mail reported.

Kate Cassidy's sudden exit

Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy—who was on the two-week long trip with the singer—flew back to Miami on October 14th, two days before the tragic incident. 

However, the reasoning she provided had nothing to do with the For You singer.

According to his girlfriend, who posted a video on her official TikTok account prior to his death, the couple was only planning to visit for five days.

"I was so ready to leave," Cassidy, 25, shared in a video on Monday.

Cassidy, who began dating Payne in 2022, continued, "Honestly, love South America but I hate staying in one place for too long. And we were supposed to be there for, like, five days, turned into two weeks.

"I was just like, ‘I need to go home.’"

She also revealed that due to her "anxiety" about travel, she broke out in "weird rash" before her flight.

Condolences from Harry Style's mother

So far, there have been no reports of a statement from any of Payne's former bandmates. 

However, Harry Style's mother, Anne Twist, paid a three-word tribute on Instagram. 

"Just a boy," she captioned a photo of a broken heart emoji in front of a black background

Struggle in music

Liam Payne went on to have a solo career like Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan when One Direction disbanded in 2016.

Payne signed a solo record deal with Republic Records in October 2016, and the following year released the upbeat Strip That Down - written by Ed Sheeran.

However, the singer was facing a delay in his second solo album due to ongoing drama in his personal life.

As per a source, the delay was mostly due to his former manager calling quits with the singer. 

“Things are tough for Liam at the moment. His former manager Roger stepped back earlier this year," The Sun quoted the insider.

“He was a steady hand for Liam and he appears to be struggling without his guidance. Things have started to seem slightly erratic, with plans being made before they are cancelled last minute,” the source went on.

“Liam had been doing really well on his second album but now it’s completely on pause. Liam is telling people now he has no idea if it’ll ever be released.”

Moreover, it was reported that a planned documentary about Payne’s career was also cancelled.