Why Liam Payne's Cause of Death and Mystery Over Final 'Drug-Crazed' Hours Could Stay Buried Forever — As His Desperate Dad Battles to Get His Boy's Body Home
Liam Payne's "drug-crazed" final hours and days may stay shrouded in mystery.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the secretive way inquests work in Argentina where the One Direction singer plunged to his death from a third floor hotel balcony mean the truth may never be uncovered about the crooner's tragic end.
A source said: "Because of the way authorities work in Argentina, Liam’s cause of death and the lead-up to his passing may remain secret and sealed forever. In the U.K., the causes of death and the dead's final moments are laid bare in open hearings. But access to those inquests is not public in Argentina."
Payne's grief-torn father Geoff visited the Buenos Aires Judicial Office on the morning of Friday, October 18, two days after Liam's death – becoming the singer's first family member to appear in public after his shock passing.
The grieving dad mingled outside the hotel earlier to spend time with the One Direction member's devastated fans.
Wearing a navy blue suit, Geoff could be seen touching fan-left mementos, cards and artwork left for the singer who plunged 45 feet to his death from the balcony of his suite.
Shortly afterwards, a source with the Buenos Aires City police said the pop star's body had been returned to his family by the prosecutor looking into his untimely death.
It is being reported that circumstances surrounding events leading up to Liam's passing are "dubious" – but insiders say it appears the star was "going through some type of outbreak resulting from substance abuse".
Liam's grieving father is urgently working to bring his son's body back to the U.K., according to Argentine newspaper Clarin.
However, the final decision about releasing Liam's remains rests with the judge and prosecutor Marcelo Roma, who are leading an investigation into what has been classified as a "doubtful death."
It is understood Liam was completely alone at the time of the fall, which could speed up his family's taking his remains home, but it is the toxicological reports that could cause a delay.
We previously revealed Liam's hotel room was "covered in white powder" while falling to his death. More reports followed claiming that a leaked WhatsApp memo in Spanish shared how the singer fainted in the hotel lobby prior to being escorted back to his drug-covered room.
The message, from a room cleaner named Catia, said Liam was "acting kinda crazy" before he "jumped" from the balcony 45 feet to the cement below. She also said the ex-boy band member was "doing drugs in front of her" while also "apologizing for the mess.
In a 2021 interview, the star said: "There were a few pictures of me on a boat and I was all bloated out and I call it my pills-and-booze face."
We also heard from a source who said: "Liam went through extremely painful and dramatic buccal fat removal surgery before his death. It takes months to recover from properly, and patients can easily become hooked in that time on the painkillers they are given to help them recover. If Liam's death was down to a drug addiction sparked by pills he was taking to kill his pain after this surgery, it is an utter tragedy."
Shortly before his death, Liam allegedly told one woman: "I used to be in a boy band — that's why I'm so f----- up."
This news comes as:
- Fellow One Direction member Louis Tomlinson was seen for the first time
- Cheryl Cole speaks out for first time
- Messages showing Tomlinson 'reaching out to Liam'
- A police breakdown of events leading up to Liam's plunge
- Liam was dropped by his record label days before death
- Hotel guest spilling details about Liam's final moments
- Liam's concerned friends planning an intervention over his substance abuse
- Liam Payne's Devastated Dad Arrives in Argentina After Son Plummeted to Death — and Faces Agonizingly Long and Secretive Process to Get His Boy's Body Back Home
- Liam Payne’s Funeral Details Revealed: Singer’s Final Farewell Set For Cathedral Very Close to His Heart — As Devastated Dad Visits Shrine Dedicated to Son
- Brutal Liam Payne Crime Scene Photos: Imagery of Tragic Singer's Final Moments Laid Bare as Cops Step up Manhunt for 'Dealers Who Killed Him'
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Louis Tomlinson was spotted in Malibu, Calif., for the first time following Liam's death on Thursday, October 17. The fellow, ex-boy bander paid tribute to his deceased bandmate on Instagram that day saying he had "lost a brother."
He added: "I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for. Liam was an incredible songwriter with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band. And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction."
Cheryl Cole also spoke out about her ex-boyfriend and father of their son, Bear.
She shared: "As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time. 'I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being. Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend, and a father to our seven-year-old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again..."
It was also revealed that Tomlinson was "constantly reaching out" to Liam leading up to his demise.
This led one fan to share: "He never gave up on Liam."
While another added: "I hope he knows he did nothing wrong and he couldn’t have prevented this. He was a great friend and brother to Liam."
The tragic star's shocking death led to a police breakdown of the events leading up to the deadly plunge.
Reports revealed a hotel worker's police call stating: "Hello, good afternoon. I called just now but the line went dead. I'm calling from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. We have a guest who is off his head on drugs and alcohol. And well, when he is conscious he is destroying everything in the room. And well, we need you to send someone, please."
The operator asked: "Under the effects of alcohol and drugs, did you say sir?"
The worker replied: "We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don't know if the guest's life is in danger. 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."
This follows a report of a U.S. hotel guest using the name "Rebecca" and her claim that validates Payne's "erratic behavior" in the moments before the fall.
She said: "I came into the hotel, and he was waiting by the elevator, and it was so clear he wanted someone to recognize him, there was something a bit desperate about him. I was with my friends and we did know who he was, but none of us were that bothered."
Further reports revealed Liam was dropped by his record label only days before his passing. The star was working on what he hoped would become his second solo album after 2019's LP1.
A source said: "Liam's advance was massive and he didn't recoup (it). Out of all of the One Direction boys, Liam was on the wrong path musically."
Liam was also reported to have been "in a dark place" before his death, and several of his friends were trying to stage an intervention with the star over his substance abuse.
A source told an outlet: "His friends have been worried about him for weeks because he was struggling with his career and wanted to release some new music but he felt he wasn't as good as his other bandmates, which they kept telling him just wasn't true. He was just always so hard on himself."
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