One Direction members ‘devastated’ by Liam Payne’s death

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP)— The members of hugely successful pop group One Direction said Thursday they were “completely devastated” by the death of bandmate Liam Payne, who fell from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room.

Family members said they were “heartbroken” as tributes poured in from the world of music, fans and even the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In Argentina, an autopsy suggested that the 31-year-old British singer had not tried to stop his fall on Wednesday, and “may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness” before his death, according to the prosecutor’s office.

“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,” One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik said in a statement carried on social media.

“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” they said.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. (…) We love you Liam.”

Payne was found dead after hotel staff called emergency services twice to report “a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room,” according to leaked audio.

“I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. But he has a room with a balcony and we’re a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” an employee said.

Payne, the father of a seven-year-old boy shared with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, had spoken publicly about struggles with alcohol and coping with fame from an early age.

He had been staying in a room on the Casa Sur hotel’s third floor, with a balcony overlooking a rear patio that was about 14 metres (45 feet) high.

Post mortem results indicated that Payne “was alone at the time of the fall and that he was going through an episode of substance abuse,” prosecutors said.

The singer suffered “multiple traumas” and “internal and external hemorrhaging,” they said.

Payne’s family issued a statement saying they would remember him for “his kind, funny and brave soul” and asking for privacy.

Mikey Graham, a member of 1990s Irish boy band Boyzone, suggested that record companies “have psychologists on their books from now on in his memory as a duty of care for the vulnerability of their young talent.”

“Fame can be very damaging especially in today’s world,” he wrote on X.

The Clarin newspaper published photos Wednesday of what it said was the interior of Payne’s room, with white powder on a table next to a piece of aluminum foil and a lighter, and a television with a broken screen.

The prosecutor’s office said substances that appeared to be “narcotics and alcoholic beverages” had been found in the room with pieces of furniture and other objects broken.

The results of medical and toxicological tests on Payne’s body have not been made public.