Death of Liam Payne: numerous drugs found in the blood of the ex-One Direction member

His fall would be the result of consumption of several psychotropic drugs. British singer Liam Payne, who died Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, had consumed a cocktail of multiple drugs, according to the first toxicological reports revealed this Monday, October 21 by several American media.

Partial autopsy of ex-One Direction boy band member’s body revealed the presence of “pink cocaine” in his body, a mixture of drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA, according to ABC News and TMZ. Crack and benzodiazepines were also detected, and an “improvised aluminum pipe” was found in the room where the 31-year-old artist was staying in Buenos Aires, ABC said.

“Narcotics and alcoholic beverages” found in the room

The results of the autopsy indicate that he was alone at the time of the fall and that he was “going through an episode of drug addiction”, as the Argentine prosecutor’s office had already explained. The singer suffered “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhages”, linked to the fall which caused his death.

A hotel employee suspected of supplying drugs to Liam Payne on the day of his death has been questioned by authorities, but has not yet been arrested or charged, local police told ABC News.

A young man hit hard by fame

Liam Payne was catapulted to stardom in 2010 thanks to One Direction, a product of the television show “The X Factor”. The group became one of the most lucrative boy bands in the world, before going on hiatus in 2016, never formalizing a separation. The singer had openly discussed his difficult relationship with fame and his problems with alcoholism. In 2023, he revealed that he had stayed in a rehab center.

His ex-partner, the singer Cheryl, called on Friday to respect his dignity, and denounced “the odious articles and the media exploitation” of the singer’s death, which cause “additional harm to all those who remain”. The couple had a son, now aged seven.