Singer may have been in ‘a state of unconsciousness’ before deadly fall
Styles added, “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”
In his own post that accompanied a throwback pic of the pair, Horan, 31, said he was “absolutely devastated.”
“It just doesn’t feel real. Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure,” Horan wrote.
The two met earlier this month when Horan was playing a show in Buenos Aires. “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently,” Horan added. “I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking. My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Bear.”
In separate tributes, Payne’s other bandmates, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik spoke of their own heartbreak over Payne’s sudden death.
Malik, 31, shared his own statement to his Instagram, writing: “Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.”
In a joint statement, One Direction said they were “completely devastated.”
The band didn’t address the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death, simply adding, “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.”
“We have a guest who is (allegedly) high and drunk; and when he is conscious, he is destroying his room and we need you to send someone, please. We need you to send someone urgently because I don’t know if his life is in danger,” the hotel manager said.
“They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk,” he said.
Payne reportedly “smashed his laptop, and had to be carried back to his room.”
By the time medical personnel arrived, Payne’s body was on the ground outside the hotel with La Nacion reporting that “a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a cellphone” were also found at the scene.
Unverified photos taken of his alleged hotel room showed a chaotic scene with a smashed television and discarded foil and a white powder, which police will test to see if it is cocaine, La Nacion reported.
As police aim to pull together a timeline of Payne’s final hours, they interviewed two women who were with the singer earlier in the day.
In past interviews, Payne was open about his struggle with substance abuse and the pressures of fame.
“I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where’s rock bottom for me?” he said in an interview with Stephen Bartlett on The Diary Of The CEO podcast in 2021.
— With files from the Associated Press