Liam Payne, a former member of the iconic band One Direction, tragically passed away at 31 after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
In the moments leading up to his death, he made a startling remark that highlighted his emotional struggles.
A witness recounts an unusual encounter with Liam Payne before his death
According to Rebecca, a 28-year-old IT consultant from Washington D.C., she spoke to Liam Payne shortly before the incident.
During their conversation, he stated, “I used to be in a boy band. That’s why I’m so f**ked up.”
Rebecca recounted her chilling encounter with Payne at the Casa Sur Hotel.
She was in Buenos Aires for a wedding and noticed Payne’s peculiar behavior in the hotel lobby.
He had not checked out by the afternoon of the day he died, which raised concerns among the hotel staff.
During their brief interaction, Payne appeared eager for recognition, greeting guests with exaggerated enthusiasm.
“I love a cuddle,” he said, showing a desperate need for connection.
His erratic actions included playfully choking a girl, which Rebecca and others found unsettling.
“Everyone, especially the staff was really shocked. It’s a high-end hotel and his behaviour was so out of place – people were just chilling.”
Shortly afterward, Payne returned to the lobby, seemingly distressed.
He was using his laptop in a way that indicated he might have been struggling with accessibility features.
After reading an upsetting email, he exclaimed, “F**k this s**t, mate!” and smashed his laptop on the floor.
This outburst shocked hotel staff and guests alike.
Rebecca noticed that Payne seemed disoriented and agitated, prompting her to check on him.
He grunted in response to her concern but then candidly expressed his troubles.
“I used to be in a boy band. That’s why I’m so f**ked up,” he said, leaving Rebecca stunned.
As she watched, a member of Payne’s entourage apologized on his behalf, suggesting that his erratic behavior was due to drug use.
The atmosphere in the hotel shifted dramatically as staff and guests became increasingly worried about Payne’s state.
Liam Payne died after a fall on October 10.
Rebecca’s account continued to describe how Payne stumbled and fell, injuring himself severely.
Emergency services were called, but the situation quickly escalated from a concern for his well-being to a tragic scene outside the hotel.
“It was awful… we saw the body out in the courtyard,” Rebecca recalled, emphasizing the horror of the moment.
After the incident, she spent the night away from the hotel, shaken by the experience and the mournful sounds of grieving fans outside.
“It wasn’t long after that when the police arrived and initially we thought they were just going to kick him out, but then when the staff started running around like crazy, we suddenly realized the seriousness of what had happened.
“Some of my friends had seen him falling, it was awful, and at first, they thought he might have just injured himself.
However, we saw the body out in the courtyard, and later they brought him out on a stretcher, it was all so horrible.”
The news of Payne’s death sent shockwaves through the music community.
His family expressed their heartbreak, stating, “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul.”
His former bandmates from One Direction also shared their devastation.
Harry Styles described their years together as some of the most cherished of his life.
“I will miss him always, my lovely friend,” three-time Grammy winner Styles said.
Investigation into Payne’s death
Following Payne’s passing, Argentine authorities began an investigation into the circumstances of his death.
Witnesses were questioned, and reports indicated that the hotel room was left in disarray.
Items associated with substance use were found near the location of his fall.