“I was always gonna live fast, die young.” 

– Liam Payne

Former One Direction member and megastar Liam Payne after falling from his third-story Buenos Aires hotel room on October 16th 2024. Hotel officials had called 911 to report a guest, “drunk with drugs and alcohol.” Indeed, alcohol as well as licit and illicit drugs were found in the 31-year-old singer’s bloodstream. Initially, Payne’s death prompted an outburst of shock and emotion around the world, and concern that he had died by suicide. Although Payne had a history of drug abuse and mental illness, authorities ruled out suicide as the cause of his death about three weeks after his fall. The confirmation came in early November 2024, following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Now, two-and-a-half months later, criminal charges have been filed against five people for contributing to the singer’s fatal fall. Payne’s representative, the hotel’s manager, and its receptionist face manslaughter charges; a hotel employee and a waiter from a restaurant in the area were charged with providing the erstwhile boy-band star with cocaine.

The Los Angeles Times quotes the statement released by the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office of Argentina, which claims that

Payne’s representative “failed to comply with his duties of

care, assistance and assistance that he had with respect to”

the singer. Prosecutors alleged [the representative] abandoned

the singer despite knowing he was “unable to fend for himself”

and having previous knowledge of Payne’s struggles with

addiction. 

CNN states that, in the judge’s opinion, the three accused of manslaughter “did not act together or in a planned manner.” If convicted, the three could face up to five years in prison. The two who furnished the singer with cocaine might be looking at up to 15 years behind bars and are being held in preventive custody. The names of the accused have not been made public.

NPR states that:  “The judge also charged three other people with manslaughter, including a businessman who was with Payne in Argentina and two managers of the hotel” in Buenos Aires.

In a related event, just weeks before Payne’s tragic fall off the CasaSur Hotel’s balcony, his psychiatrist dropped him as a client, saying that he needed “a higher level of care” than what she could provide. TMZ recently released a letter that Payne’s psychiatrist filed with the Argentinian court. Claiming Payne needed more help than she could give, the psychiatrist offered “a list of doctors and rehab centers she believed could better assist” the singer in dealing with his addictions and mental health issues. “Thank you for your understanding,” the psychiatrist wrote, “and I wish you the very best in your continued journey toward mental health and well-being.”

Throughout his brief life, Liam Payne faced significant struggles with mental health and addiction  – particularly during his One Direction days. Absolutely understandable if you’re catapulted to worldwide fame at 14-years-old. He sums it up in his song Live Forever.

In this song, Payne sings, “I was always gonna live fast, die young.”