Liam Payne’s career, final days explored on Nightline Doc: recap

The ups and downs of Liam PayneThe highlights of his career and life ahead of his sudden death were the focus of a new night line documentary.

The ABC News Studio production, part of its “Impact x Nightline” series, debuted on Thursday, October 25, charting Payne’s final days in Argentina.

“We had multiple meetings with Liam. (There were) several times, he had gone down to the lobby and was causing a disturbance,” a hotel guest, whose name was not identified, recalled in the document. “(He) continued to be escorted back to his room.”

Payne had been staying in a local hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the time of his death. According to the tourist interviewed, the late One Direction star seemed “very frustrated” with each trip to the lobby.

“(He) was smashing his laptop in the lobby,” the guest claimed. “And then the last time he came back down, he passed out in the hotel lobby.”

It is unknown how Payne got to his room. At 5:00 pm local time, a hotel employee made an emergency call to 911 and requested help for a guest who appeared to be drunk and continued to break various items.

When rescuers arrived at the scene, Payne had already He fell from his third floor balcony. According to a preliminary autopsy seen by Us weeklyPayne died at the scene due to “multiple injuries involving ‘internal and external bleeding’” and was in a state of partial or complete unconsciousness” at the time of the fall. Payne was 31 years old.

While an investigation into Payne’s death is underway, it has been reported that he had multiple drugs in his system. including “pink cocaine.” (Payne notably struggled with addiction since One Direction broke up in 2016. He went to rehab in 2023, and later confirmed that year that he was 100 days sober.)

Related: Everything you need to know so far about Liam Payne’s shocking death at age 31

One Direction alum Liam Payne died on October 16, 2024, at the age of 31. That night, Us Weekly confirmed that Payne had died after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The singer had suffered a skull fracture and other serious injuries that were too serious to receive treatment. Local emergency services (…)

In a 2021 episode of the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Payne linked his sobriety struggles to his British boy band days and started drinking because it was “his way.”

“One of the reasons why people who catapult to fame might seem to be at higher risk for addiction is simply the fact that there is a lot of stress and scrutiny,” the social psychologist said. Azadeh Aalai said in the night line doc. “They need some kind of outlet or escape.”

While no further details are currently known about Payne’s sobriety since his stay in rehab in 2023, his family, fans and more are remembering his legacy as an individual and musician.

“I’m not necessarily mourning the person he became, but the person he was.” Natalie Baradasaid in an interview for The Doctor, a 22-year-old 1D fan who has been listening to the band since she was 9 years old. “That was the Liam we knew; that was the Liam we fell in love with and the Liam we fell in love with. “It’s just losing part of that childhood.”

Related: Fans hold vigil outside Argentina Hotel after Liam Payne’s death

LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images One Direction fans flocked to the Buenos Aires hotel where Liam Payne died unexpectedly on Wednesday, October 16, holding an impromptu vigil for the 31-year-old former band member. Payne died after falling from the third floor of the Hotel CasaSur Palermo. The police responded to the scene after a 911 call (…)

Payne rose to fame as a member of One Direction, which formed in The X Factor UK in 2010. Payne and his fellow singers: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and zayn malik – formed as a group after failed solo auditions.

“He wanted to be a singer. He didn’t talk to me about fame”, classical musician. Mary Byrnewho also competed in season 7 of X Factor UKsaid in a separate interview for night line. “He talked about wanting to be a singer. “I was the oldest woman in the program and all the children who were there treated me like their mother.”

According to Byrne, 64, Payne was “very compassionate” and that “will always remain in her mind.”

One Direction, despite finishing in third place in X Factor UKThey went on to become one of the most important boy bands in history. After five chart-topping albums, Malik, 31, left the group in 2015. The rest of the members disbanded the following year and all pursued solo careers.

Malik, Tomlinson, 32, Styles, 30, and Horan, 31, each individual statement publisheds, as well as a group message, after Payne’s death.

Payne is survived by her parents, two older sisters and her 7-year-old son Bear, whom she shared with her ex. Cheryl Cole.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Impact x Nightline: One Direction: The Last Days of Liam Payne It is currently streaming on Hulu.