<p id=”par-1_52″>On Oct. 16, news of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/liam-payne-one-direction-dead-balcony-fall.html/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Liam Payne’s death</a> shocked fans. The former member of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/one-direction/?swcfpc=1″>One Direction</a> fell from the third-story balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires. He was 31 years old. Up until the hour before his death, Payne was posting updates on his vacation on his social media accounts. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-liam-payne-posted-on-social-media-in-the-hours-leading-up-to-his-death”>Liam Payne posted on social media in the hours leading up to his death</h2>
<p id=”par-2_48″>This October, Payne traveled to Argentina <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/cryptic-video-resurfaces-liam-paynes-ex-maya-henry-recounting-words-dont-be-here-much-longer.html/”>with his girlfriend</a>, Kate Cassidy. He documented his trip on Snapchat, sharing photos and videos with fans. He continued to post updates until just one hour before news of his death broke, describing it as a “lovely day in Argentina,” (via <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/liam-payne-final-hours-snapchat-posts-1235803569/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard</a>).</p>
<p id=”par-3_24″>In the now-deleted video, Payne sat outdoors at a breakfast table and disclosed that he and Cassidy had a slow start to their day.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Liam-Payne-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Liam Payne wears a black shirt and stands against a black background.” class=”wp-image-3728469″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Liam Payne | Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_24″>“It’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” he said. “This is the breakfast table. Just enjoying coffee and breakfast even though it’s 1 p.m.”</p>
<p id=”par-5_20″>His final post on Snapchat was a photo of him and Cassidy wearing bathing suits in front of a mirror.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-liam-payne-fell-to-his-death-from-a-balcony”>Liam Payne fell to his death from a balcony</h2>
<p id=”par-6_39″>Shortly before Payne’s death, hotel staff at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires called the police about Payne’s behavior. Per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://apnews.com/article/liam-payne-dies-one-direction-6b7893a56e0d8701096775f611399dd8″ rel=”noreferrer noopener”>AP</a>, the staff called about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”</p>
<p id=”par-7_25″>“He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please,” the manager said, noting that the hotel room had a balcony. </p>
<p id=”par-8_35″>Police arrived shortly after 5 p.m., but there was little they could do. According to Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.”</p>
<p id=”par-9_32″>He sustained “extremely serious injuries” to his head and body that ultimately resulted in his death. Before long, grieving fans arrived outside the hotel to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/liam-payne-death-haunting-photos-buenos-aires-hotel-heartbroken-fans-mourn-outside-casasur-palermo.html/”>leave flowers and candles</a> in Payne’s memory.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-he-spoke-about-his-sobriety-in-the-past”>He spoke about his sobriety in the past</h2>
<p id=”par-10_45″>In 2023, Payne posted a video on YouTube to announce that he had been sober for nearly six months. He spent close to 100 days in a rehab facility in Louisiana. He said he realized he <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/liam-payne-cryptic-words-what-rock-bottom-would-look-like-dont-even-know-if-ive-hit-it-yet.html/”>wanted to stop drinking</a> at a Hans Zimmer concert.</p>
<p id=”par-11_76″>“I watching this beautiful symphony, I was having a drink, and I thought, ‘You know what, this isn’t really serving me at all, I don’t really need this right now,’ ” Payne said, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://people.com/liam-payne-nearly-6-months-sober-rehab-7558412″ rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>. “It’s the first time I’ve ever put a drink down and gone to someone else, ‘You finish this, I don’t need this right now.’ And I haven’t picked one up since, which has almost been six months, which I’m excited about.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Liam-Payne-2.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Liam Payne wears a white suit and stands in front of a poster for Louis Tomlinson’s documentary.” class=”wp-image-3728480″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Liam Payne | Dave J Hogan/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-12_14″>He said he felt he was in a much better place in his life.</p>
<p id=”par-13_93″>“I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me, I just feel like I’ve got more of a handle on it,” he said. “I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore. And I’m sure you guys didn’t either. I was in bad shape up until that point and I was really happy to kind of put a stopper to life and work.”</p>
<p id=”par-14_19″><em><strong>How to get help:</strong> In the U.S., contact the <a href=”https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration</a> helpline at 1-800-662-4357.</em></p>