Confusion and theories about the sudden and tragic passing of One Direction singer Liam Payne have ramped up in the wake of details about his last moments surfacing online.
Payne, 31, was declared dead on Oct. 16 after his body came crashing down from a third-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some reports have implicated that the deadly accident was the result of a fall and others an alleged ill-fated jump.
Regardless of those conflicting claims, newly released toxicology findings have at least shed light on the state of mind Payne may have been in at the time.
Payne is said to have left his room trashed and that he exhibited intoxicated behavior. Hotel employees told a local outlet they were concerned about the father of one’s well-being.
“We have a guest drunk with drugs and alcohol,” the hotel manager said on the call. “When he is conscious, he is breaking everything in the room,” a concerned hotel desk manager told emergency dispatchers in a recorded call obtained by ABC News.
“We need to send someone with urgency because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger because he is in a room with a balcony, and we are afraid he could do something that threatens life.”
Payne was pronounced dead on the scene after his body was discovered in the hotel’s inner courtyard, 42-45 feet below. Clonazepam, a medication used for the acute treatment of panic disorder, epilepsy, and nonconvulsive status epilepticus, as well as an unidentified white powder, were found in Payne’s room.
A preliminary report revealed Payne had traces of cocaine, benzodiazepines, crack cocaine, and “pink cocaine” (or TUCI), which is a combination of methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA, in his system at the time of death. “Pink Cocaine,” despite its name, often does not contain any actual cocaine and gets its pink hue from food coloring.
The recreational drug has been a buzzword since November when Sean “Diddy” Combs became embattled in a mountain of legal troubles accusing him of sex trafficking, racketeering, and other illegal activities.
Federal prosecutors told a judge that bags of a pink powder were found when agents searched the music mogul’s New York hotel room when he was arrested. It is alleged that he routinely used and supplied the drug for his freak offs.
In September, the disgraced music mogul was arrested at a New York hotel and indicted on felony charges related to an ongoing investigation. He remains held in a Brooklyn detention center awaiting a May 2025 trial date.
With these new insights, a story the “What Makes You Beautiful” pop star told on “The Grahm Norton Show” has resurfaced, and ironically, he shared a story about a frightening encounter with Combs.
In the 2018 clip, guest comedian David Williams recalled an awkward meeting with the late musician Prince. Payne then replied by sharing he had a similar experience when he met Diddy.
As Payne recalled, “I went over to say hello to P. Diddy, and Jay-Z was there, and Leonardo DiCaprio sat to the far right,” he was jokingly cut off by Williams, who said, “We don’t need to hear about other people in the room. Just stay on the people the story’s about.”
The audience, Norton, Payne, Williams, and “Frida” actress Salma Hayek, who was also a guest, all laughed.
The singer said that as he approached the group of stars, he tried to determine “who’s the easy target in the scenario. Who’s the one that you go to say the hello, and I’m thinking I saw him in ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ I’m gonna go over there and say hello to him.”
The story continued, “I went out to shake his hand, and I shook his hand, and he just says, ‘Oh, nice to meet you,’” and began to chuckle “for the longest time ever,” leaving Payne to feel unsettled. He further explained, “I’m like sat there looking in P. Diddy’s eyes like when is this going to end?”
The “What Makes You Beautiful” vocalist disclosed that the worst of the moment occurred when he leaned in to speak with another mogul, Jay-Z, and instead wound up being pushed across the room by a security guard.
Prior to his Graham Norton Show appearance, Payne shared the story with Australian radio station KIIS FM Kyle and Jackie O Show in 2017.
“I went over to speak to him and Jay-Z, and as I shook his hand, he just chuckled … the most evil laugh that I’ve ever heard,” said Payne. “So I’m a little bit fearful of that man.”
He continued, “It was like the most daunting celebrity experience that you could ever imagine,” before adding, “I thought P. Diddy was a safe bet. Obviously, I missed the mark a little bit.”
One Direction’s Liam Payne, who died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, once shared a chilling encounter with Diddy and Jay-Z.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) October 17, 2024
He recalled his "evil laugh" that left him deeply unsettled, admitting that Diddy, in particular, was far more intimidating… pic.twitter.com/kMwXfq0NRB
In hindsight, some fans now believe the otherwise innocuous account was a red flag. Elsewhere in comments under the video read, “Liam, Diddy…..none of this aged well.”
Another person suggested that Hayek seemed uneasy as Payne told his story, which led many to agree, “As soon as P Diddy was mentioned look at Salma’s face drop,” read one comment. “Did anyone else notice how uncomfortable Salma was when Liam was talking about Diddy? You could see on her face she didn’t want to hear the story, and then quickly tried one up Liam with the Prince name drop; she quickly changed the subject pronto; I think she knows things,” suggested another commenter.
But even more fans defended Payne, hoping that his death and nefarious claims mounting against Diddy would not make a larger spectacle of the young man’s passing.
“Please leave him to rest is gone now,” read one comment. At this time, final autopsy results are pending.
