Three individuals have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne, who fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last month, according to Argentine authorities on Thursday.
The 31-year-old’s tragic death shocked fans around the world and raised questions about the circumstances of his fall.
A 911 call made by a hotel employee on the day of Payne’s death indicated that he had been acting aggressively and might have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
An autopsy found that the former boy band member had alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system at the time of his death, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office on Thursday.
Payne’s body was returned to his father, Geoff, over the weekend and flown back to England. In the weeks following the tragedy, Geoff was seen with longtime One Direction bodyguard Paul Higgins at the CasaSur hotel where the incident occurred.
Those charged in connection with Payne’s death include a suspected drug dealer, a hotel employee who may have provided cocaine to Payne, and an individual close to the singer, according to officials.
All three are accused of contributing to Payne’s drug use, with the hotel employee allegedly supplying him cocaine multiple times during his stay. The suspected drug dealer is believed to have provided cocaine to Payne two days before his fall.
The person visiting Payne at the hotel faces charges of “abandonment of a person followed by death,” according to authorities.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death is ongoing, with prosecutors stating they are still attempting to access the singer’s damaged laptop.
Witnesses reported seeing Payne break his laptop in the hotel lobby before the incident.
