Argentine authorities probe what happened before Liam Payne’s fatal fall from his hotel balcony

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The circumstances surrounding the death of ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne were suspicious, given possible drug involvement, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday.

Payne, 31, who died on Wednesday, first shot to fame as a teenager and grappled with the pressures of global stardom.

Fans and media swarmed the Casa Sur Hotel in the chic Palermo neighborhood of Argentina's capital as forensic experts collected evidence a day after Payne was found dead in the hotel courtyard after plunging from his room on the third floor.

The Buenos Aires police said they found Payne's hotel room "in complete disarray" with broken objects and furniture. They found packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and over-the-counter medications strewn about his belongings. The Argentine public prosecutor said there also appeared to be alcohol and narcotics in the room.

Forensics teams reported that a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone were retrieved from the building's internal courtyard where Payne's body was found.

The prosecutor said that the autopsy showed internal bleeding and 25 traumatic injuries to his skull, limbs and abdomen, consistent with a fall. It said those injuries alone were enough to cause his death.

There were no signs of a third party being involved, it said, but described Payne’s case as "suspicious,” citing the likelihood that the star had been taking alcohol and drugs. The requested toxicology tests could take weeks to complete.

The lack of defensive injuries on Payne's hands indicated that he may have fallen into a state of unconsciousness, the public prosecutor said.

Evidence collected from the scene, the statement added, suggested Payne "was going through some kind of substance abuse episode.” It said all signs indicated that Payne was alone at the time of his death.

Medical examiners listed the cause of death as "multiple trauma" and "internal and external bleeding.” Authorities said they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne in his hotel room hours earlier in an effort to reconstruct Payne’s final moments.

The two women had left the hotel by the time of the incident, the prosecution said.

Fans, foreign and local, were still filtering through the cordoned-off street outside Payne’s hotel on Thursday. Several girls, their cheeks tear-stained, paused to sit in trance-like silence before a makeshift memorial of candles, colorful flowers and handmade One Direction signs spilling prolifically off the curb.

On Wednesday, police had said Payne "had jumped from the balcony of his room," without elaborating on how they came to that conclusion or whether the jump was intentional. Police said they had rushed to the hotel in response to an emergency call just after 5 p.m. local time that had warned of an intoxicated guest acting erratically.

A hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call recording obtained by The Associated Press saying the hotel has "a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol. … He's destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please."

Tributes continued pouring in Thursday from pop industry figures and fellow musicians.

Payne was known as the tousle-headed, sensible one of the quintet that went from a TV talent show to a pop phenomenon with a huge international following of swooning fans. In recent years, he had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.

"We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul," his family said in a statement through Payne’s representative. "We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction in 2014, said he was "shocked and saddened." The Backstreet Boys said in a social media post that their hearts go out to "Directioners around the world."

In past interviews, Payne alluded to the grueling consequences of growing up against the surreal backdrop of the entertainment industry.

"I don't think you can ever deal with that. It’s all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do," he told the AP in 2013, recounting an experience where a fan was in a state of shock upon meeting him.

One Direction announced an indefinite "hiatus" in 2016, and Payne - like each of his erstwhile bandmates - pursued a solo career, shifting toward EDM and hip-hop.

While former One Direction singer Harry Styles became a huge solo star, the others had more modest success. Payne’s 2017 single "Strip That Down," featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album "LP1" in 2019, and his last release - a single called "Teardrops" - was released in March.

In 2020, to mark the 10th anniversary of One Direction, Payne shared a screenshot of a text message he sent to his father on the day he joined the group, which read: "I'm in a boyband."

"What a journey ... I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my dad years ago at this exact time the band was formed," he wrote.