Photo Credit: Liam Payne by MTV International / CC by 3.0
Preliminary autopsy results reveal Liam Payne’s cause of death following his tragic fall from a third-floor balcony. Here’s what we know so far.
Authorities have revealed the preliminary autopsy report following the unexpected death of Liam Payne this week. The 31-year-old former One Direction singer died after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel during a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
According to the forensic medical team of the Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina, the fall caused “multiple trauma and internal and external bleeding,” and Payne died on impact. The singer fell from the balcony of his hotel room at the Casa Sur Palermo, having traveled to Argentina to attend a concert by his fellow One Direction bandmate, Niall Horan.
Payne’s death was reported at around 5:40 PM ET, on Wednesday, October 16, with the news confirmed by the Emergency Medical Care System (SAME). Initial reports revealed authorities from the local police station responded to an emergency call from the hotel, alerting them of an “aggressive man” who was thought to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Arriving at the scene, authorities found a man lying in the hotel’s courtyard with a head injury, the severity of which made it impossible to revive him. He was confirmed to be the former One Direction star.
Pablo Policicchio, communications director of the Ministry of Security of Buenos Aires, reported that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.” It is still unknown if the singer jumped deliberately, or fell over the side. There was no indication that anyone else was in his room. His injuries suggest that he “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself,” and that he could have fallen “in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”
Authorities believe he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and evidence of such was reportedly found in his hotel room. Payne was open about his history with addiction, and earlier this year, he announced he had been sober for six months.
