Liam Payne was pronounced dead at just 31-years-old yesterday evening after falling from a third floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires.
The former One Direction star was tragically discovered in the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel, with medical personnel later confirming his death.
Reports from local media state that Liam had been acting ‘erratically’ in the hours before his death with hotel staff reporting to police: “When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone” before the fatal incident occurred.
Officials in Argentina have not given any further details about how the singer came to fall from the balcony but confirmed that he had passed away due to multiple injuries, including a skull fracture. The dad-of-one, had previously spoken out about his battles with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as his history of dark thoughts.
In a heartbreaking 2021 interview with Steve Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast that has now resurfaced online, the singer opened up his life in the public eye and the loneliness that can come with it.
Steve asked Liam: “Is there a moment you look back on and think that was the lowest moment for me?”
Liam replied: “Yes a few. I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it, no one would have ever have seen it.”
He added: “If I hadn’t had the help I’ve had I don’t know where the hell I’d be right now.”
This was not the first time Liam had sparked concern over his mental health as in a 2019 interview on Sky show Ant Middleton And Liam Payne: Straight Talking, he confessed he had experienced suicidal thoughts.
Liam told Ant during the candid chat that he was “quite lucky to be here still”, admitting that it was something he had never shared with anyone.
He added: “I can’t go too deep into it because I don’t know how I feel myself. I still haven’t made my peace with it, to be honest.” Former soldier and TV personality Middleton replied that he had been “on the cusp myself” as Liam said: “You’ve probably been through the same situations.”
He continued: “There’s times where that level of loneliness and people getting into you every day. Just every so often, you’re like, when will this end? That’s almost nearly killed me a couple of times.”
The One Direction singer said he was “lucky to have really great people” around him to help him through and said he copes by “finding a different way to look at it”.
Liam explained: “Like you say, when things start to pile on top of each other, that’s when it can really get you. You’ve really got to change your view about it. There’s only one thing you control in that situation, it’s you.
“Just get on with it. Just do today. Get on with that bit, then there’ll be another hurdle in a few months or a few weeks, or maybe even the next day. You never really know.”
The star, who had been holidaying in Argentina with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy at the time of his death, previously told fans in a candid video that he had been diagnosed with a couple of mental health conditions which he did not name.
Filming himself, he admitted he had tried to take the same video “about 20 times”, as he shared that experiencing “super low manic moments” in his life would cause him to “lose his sobriety”.
Acknowledging his amazing support system, he added: “But I’m sure they can see it in me too because I’m not really here. I just wanted to put this out here as I know there’s probably a few people who have the same thing and maybe don’t even know it sometimes. Just so you know you’re not the only one.”
Liam’s struggles with drug abuse date back to his One Direction days as he told Steve Bartlett in 2021: “The problem we had in the band. It feels like when we were in the band the best way to secure us because of how big it got was just to lock us in our rooms and of course what’s in the room, minibar.”
He explained: “So, at a certain point, I thought ‘Well I’m going to have a party for one’ and that just seemed to carry on through many years of my life’.
“And then you look back at how long you’ve been drinking and you think ‘Jesus Christ that’s a long time’ even for someone as young as I was. It was wild but it was the only way you could get frustration out in the day.”
Liam’s sudden death has broken hearts all around the world with many taking to social media to plead others to be “more kind” after the star suffered with online abuse from trolls in the last years of his life.
The former One Direction member leaves behind his seven-year-old son Bear, who he shares with ex girlfriend Cheryl, as well as his parents and his two older sisters.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.