Liam Payne toxicology tests show 'multiple' drugs in body at time of death
- By AFP -
- Oct 22, 2024
Pop star Liam Payne had multiple drugs including crack cocaine and methamphetamine in his system when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina, according to initial toxicology reports cited by US media on Monday.
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The British singer and former One Direction member died last week at the age of 31, after plunging from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires.
ABC News and TMZ said a cocktail of drugs called ‘pink cocaine’ – containing methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA – had been found during a partial autopsy, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests.
Crack cocaine and benzodiazepine were also listed.
An ‘improvised aluminium pipe to ingest drugs’ was also found in the room, ABC reported.
Payne – who was found dead after staff called emergency services twice to report a guest ‘overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol’ was ‘destroying’ a hotel room – had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and coping with fame from an early age.
Post-mortem results indicated that he was alone at the time of the fall and ‘was going through an episode of substance abuse’, prosecutors had previously said.
The singer suffered ‘multiple traumas’ and ‘internal and external haemorrhaging’, they said.
The Clarin newspaper published photos last week of what it said was the interior of Payne’s room, with white powder visible on a table next to a piece of aluminum foil and a lighter. The pictures also showed a television with a broken screen.
The prosecutor’s office said substances that appeared to be ‘narcotics and alcoholic beverages’ had been found in the room, amidst pieces of broken furniture and other objects.
A hotel employee suspected of providing Payne with drugs on the day he died has been interviewed by officials, but not arrested or charged, local police told ABC News.
Payne was a member of One Direction, the hugely successful pop group whose fame began in 2010 on the British television talent contest ‘The X Factor’.
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One of the highest-grossing live acts in the world, the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne went on to enjoy solo success, but in recent years spoke openly about struggles with alcoholism and fame.
He was the father of a seven-year-old boy shared with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy.