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Two months after Former One Direction member Liam Payne passed away in Argentina, a UK-based coronial inquest has confirmed that singer’s cause of death.
According to a report by the BBC, the 31-year-old passed away as a result of polytrauma – a term used to describe “multiple traumatic injuries which have been sustained to a person’s body and organ systems.”
While the inquest has been paused, the coronial hearing also revealed that it may still take “some time” to formally identify the circumstances that led to Payne’s passing.
“Whilst there are ongoing investigations in Argentina into the circumstances of Liam’s death, over which I have no legal jurisdiction, it is anticipated that procuring relevant information to address particularly how Liam came by his death may take some time through the formal channel of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office,” Senior Coroner Crispin Butler stated during the hearing.
The latest update in the ongoing investigation into the One Direction star’s death comes just over one week after three individuals were charged with manslaughter in relation to his passing, while an additional two were charged with drug supply offences. The matter will now proceed to Argentina’s court system. At this stage, none of the accused have entered a plea.
Two hotel employees are accused of selling cocaine to Payne. Three others – including the hotel’s manager and receptionist – have been charged with manslaughter after the judge claimed they “dragged Payne to his room moments before his death” instead of providing medical care.
The new allegations come after findings released by the National Criminal and Corrections Prosecutors Office shared that the singer died as a result of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage.”
“Everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and was going through some kind of episode due to substance abuse,” the report stated.
As reported by The Guardian, an initial autopsy report further outlined that Payne suffered substantial head injuries following his fall off a third-floor balcony. The trauma was described as “sufficient to cause death.”
The 31-year-old died shortly after 5:00 pm local time after suffering a 14-metre fall from his hotel room balcony at the Casa Sur, Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires.
Speaking to The Guardian, hotel guests visiting around the time of Payne’s death shared, “I thought they were doing construction, there was so much banging. Later I heard the sirens, thinking perhaps there was a fire somewhere, and then I heard a very loud scream.”
Citing officials, local newspapers La Nacion and Clarin reported that police were called to the hotel in the capital’s leafy Palermo neighbourhood responding to an emergency call that cited “an aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol.”
Ambulance workers later confirmed the death of the singer, who was found in an interior hotel patio, according to the news reports.
A partial autopsy found that Payne had substances including cocaine, crack and benzodiazepine in his body when he fell to his death, sources told ABC News Monday.
The test also found “pink cocaine,” a recreational drug that typically mixes methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others, per the outlet.
Payne rose to fame when he joined One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan after their launch on The X Factor in 2010. The band became the biggest boy band in the world, with Payne one of the principal songwriters. Breaking hearts of millions of fans, they broke up in 2015.
In June 2021, Payne revealed that he had struggled with addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs.
In March, Payne released the single ‘Teardrops’, marking his first new material since 2021. He was expected to soon release his second solo album. But when the song only peaked at Number 43 on the UK charts, he pressed pause on the album’s release. Tellingly, he also reportedly shelved plans for a documentary about his life.
At the time, a source told The Sun newspaper that, “Things are tough for Liam at the moment. His former manager Roger stepped back earlier this year. 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.”
“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.”
Payne leaves behind a son, Bear, 7, from a previous relationship with Cheryl Cole.
He regularly posted on social media alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, was spotted attending Nial Horan’s concert in Argentina two weeks before his death
“I think we might just go and say hello,” he said in a video online. “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
