The distressing circumstances of a 911 call made before Liam Payne’s death at the age of 31 have been exposed.
The former One Direction musician died after falling at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, according to Policía Federal Argentina.
According to local media sites La Nacion and Clarin, as well as Sky News, the hotel’s head receptionist called 911 after becoming concerned about Payne’s conduct.
According to a translated La Nacion transcript of the conversation, the worker stated that the singer was inebriated and believed he was “under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” requesting that someone come “urgently” to the site. The outlet reports that the contact took place around 5:01 p.m. local time, precisely 10 minutes before Payne’s death.
“What I’m asking is for someone to come urgently,” the worker replied, according to a BBC transcript.
The person on the other end of the telephone verified that SAME (Buenos Aires’ public emergency medical services system) was on its way, according to the source. The conversation did not mention Payne’s name.
According to Sky News, the worker stated that the guest’s life may be “in danger” because he was “in a room with a balcony.”
The publication translated the manager’s call to “Esteban,” stating, “We’re afraid he could do something that threatens his life.” The publication also reported that Payne had been at the hotel for “three days.”
According to the BBC translation, the worker claimed that Payne had been “trashing the entire room” before his death.
The local police have initiated an investigation into Payne’s death circumstances and will conduct an autopsy.
Alberto Crescenti, the head of SAME, informed TN in a Spanish-translated statement that Payne fell into the hotel’s internal courtyard. Reports indicate that the incident happened around 5:11 p.m. local time.
Payne has been in Argentina since at least early this month, when he and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy went to see former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan perform at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on October 2.
Bear Grey, Payne’s 7-year-old son from his relationship with Girls Aloud’s Cheryl, survives him.
Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, the late musician’s One Direction teammates, have not yet commented.
Styles’ mother, Anne Twist, was among many paying respect to the late singer on social media, tweeting a heartfelt three-word statement alongside a broken heart emoji on Instagram.
“Just a boy… 💔,” she wrote.