Argentine officials are in possession of security footage showing Liam Payne fainting before falling to his death from his hotel balcony, a local journalist claimed.
Paula Varela said on Buenos Aires-based TV station Canal 13’s show “Socios del Espectáculo” that the video backs up the theory that Payne was unconscious before he accidentally fell from the third story of CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Oct. 16.
“There is footage that is not being released to the media with the balcony scene where you see that Liam faints and tragically, because of where he is, falls from that balcony,” she claimed (per the Mirror).
“If he had been beside his bed, he would have fallen on his bed. It’s not that he jumped deliberately. This footage is in the official case file,” Varela added.
Hotel staff found Payne dead at age 31 in the property’s courtyard just moments after he fell from the balcony of his room.
Buenos Aires authorities previously said in a statement to Page Six that “due to the position in which the body was left and the injuries from the fall, it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen while in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office also shared a preliminary report with us, revealing that the former One Direction singer had suffered multiple traumas that led to internal and external bleeding.
Additionally, an emergency medical doctor said Payne “apparently” suffered “a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”
Although authorities previously refused to comment on whether the former boy band member was on drugs at the time of his death, substances and paraphernalia were discovered in his hotel room.
A toxicology report later revealed that he had multiple drugs in his system, including crack, cocaine and “pink cocaine,” which is a recreational drug that typically mixes methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others.
Hours before his death, many eyewitnesses reported that Payne had been acting erratically in the lobby of the hotel.
One American tourist even claimed the late star had passed out shortly before being “escorted back up to his room” by hotel staff.
“There was an incident where he was very frustrated and was smashing his laptop in the lobby, and then the final time he came down, he actually passed out in the lobby of the hotel,” the hotel guest said in an interview for “Impact x Nightline: One Direction: Liam Payne’s Final Days.”
Payne had long been open about his battle with mental health and drug addiction, which started during his time in One Direction and worsened after the band broke up in 2016.
“He was heartbroken and never really recovered,” a source told Page Six. “He was lost without his brothers,” referring to bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
That same source had also told Page Six that the “Strip That Down” singer previously overdosed and had to be resuscitated at least once during his drug addiction.
Liam is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen; his sisters, Ruth and Sarah; girlfriend Kate Cassidy and 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with ex Cheryl Cole.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.