Liam Payne shared his fears about the isolation of hotel rooms in a poignant video that has re-emerged following his tragic death.
The ex-One Direction member, who passed away after a fall from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel on October 16, had previously discussed the toll that fame took on him, particularly during his teenage years on tour with the band, which he said “really f****d him up.”
He lamented the experience of being “locked up” in hotel rooms for security reasons post-performance, reports the Mirror, three years before his untimely death, Liam confided: “My dad said it from day one – lonely hotel rooms, man – getting locked in that room is not fun when you’ve been exposed.”
He also revealed to host Steven Bartlett that he faced several “rock bottom moments” throughout his career, which he was adept at concealing. The late artist expressed: “I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where is rock bottom for me? You would have never seen it. I’m very good at hiding it. No one would have ever seen it.”
He further reflected: “Rock bottom… I mean, I don’t even know if I’ve hit it yet… I can make that choice now and quick my last moment as my rock bottom or I can make a new one.”
New details have emerged about the tragic circumstances leading up to Liam’s death. Reports suggest that the singer was attempting to flee his hotel room prior to his untimely demise, and was seen wearing a bag.
Witnesses and a police report allege that the hotel was aware of Liam’s threats to use the balcony as an escape route, yet left him alone. TMZ sources claim that Liam had a longstanding aversion to being confined in hotel rooms, a fear dating back to his One Direction days.
On the day he died, hotel surveillance footage showed a visibly intoxicated Liam causing a disturbance in the lobby before Casa Sur Hotel staff stepped in.
The X Factor star reportedly resisted, telling staff he didn’t want to stay in the room and warning them he’d use the balcony to escape if forced to stay.
It’s reported that hotel employees used a master key to put Liam in his room, then removed a mirror from outside his door, seemingly out of concern he might break it. Mere minutes later, a hotel worker dialled 911, noting that the singer was in a room with a balcony and expressing fears he might try to escape.
“I don’t know whether his life may be in danger. He is in a room with a balcony, and, well, we’re a little afraid,” admitted the hotel employee during the call, as per the transcript. After leaving Liam alone in his room, he’s reported to have tried to escape using the balcony, resulting in a catastrophic fall.
His body was discovered with a bag over his shoulder, suggesting he might have been gearing up to vacate the premises. This bag was absent when he had earlier been taken from the lobby to his third-floor abode.
A guest on the second floor found a leather bag graced with pills, a Jack Daniel’s bottle, and a note marked “for Liam” on their balcony. The plot thickens as authorities deduce that this bag, confirmed to be the singer’s but not the one discovered near his remains, was part of an intricate escape plan, dangled down to the second-floor balcony.
Suicide has been dismissed by the police, who surmise that the vocalist was probably in a haze of “semi or total unconsciousness” when he tragically fell.
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