Liam Payne's Drug Death Mystery Deepens: Sad Claims Spread Vulnerable Singer, 31, Was 'Preyed On' by Ruthless Dealers in Final Days — After He'd 'Stayed Clean for Weeks'
Payne battled substance abuse issues before taking his fatal fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last week.
Oct. 22 2024, Published 2:16 p.m. ET
Liam Payne was drug-free before setting foot in Argentina but was preyed on by dealers during his tragic final days, according to insiders.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the former One Direction star’s recovery was shattered during his trip to Buenos Aires as he was targeted by drug dealers who delivered illegal substances to his hotel.
Payne was preyed on by local drug dealers keen to exploit his wealth.
A close friend told MailOnline: “Liam had been clean for weeks. He had been to rehab more than once.
“He had had treatment in the UK and in California.
“And he had recently been taken on by a new psychiatrist in Florida. Everyone around Liam hoped that he was on the path to recovery.
“He went to Argentina to renew his USA visa where he had to undergo medical examination because of his history with alcohol and drugs.
Drugs were found in his hotel room, including in his bathtub.
“The results of the tests were good. Liam was 100 per cent sober. But when he checked in at the hotel, at some point someone there started giving him drugs.
“Liam had tried really hard to get clean, then they preyed on him. These people only care about money. They didn't care about his health.”
Payne died last week after falling from his third floor balcony, aged just 31.
Staff at the Casa Sur Hotel where Payne passed are being investigated on suspicion of supplying the star with drugs in the days leading up to the tragedy.
Payne spent time in rehab before travelling to South America.
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The men are accused of smuggling various narcotics into the singer's suite at the boutique hotel in the upmarket district of Palermo.
TMZ reported that a cocktail of drugs called "pink cocaine" - containing methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA - had been found during a partial autopsy, along with crack cocaine and benzodiazepine. The site quoted an anonymous source.
The full toxicology results are not expected to be made public for several weeks.
Payne's autopsy concluded the traumatic injuries which caused his death were consistent with his three-story fall from the hotel window. Prosecutors have ruled out anyone else being involved.
Payne’s grieving father Geoff is urgently working to bring his son's body back to the U.K.
Payne died after a fatal fall from a third-floor hotel balcony.
However, the final decision about releasing Payne'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 Payne 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 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 ground below.
She also said the ex-boyband member was "doing drugs in front of her" while also "apologizing" for the mess.
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