A hotel manager in Buenos Aires made a desperate 911 call moments before British pop star Liam Payne fell to his death from a third-floor balcony. The newly released audio of the emergency call, obtained by Argentinian media outlet La Nacion, reveals the tense situation that unfolded before the tragic incident on Wednesday.
In the recording, a man identified as Esteban, a manager at the CasaSur Hotel in Palermo, frantically tells the emergency operator that a guest, whom he later identifies as Payne, appeared to be “high and drunk.” Esteban explained, “When he’s conscious, he’s destroying his room. We urgently need help, I’m worried his life is in danger.” The hotel staff feared for Payne’s safety as his room had a balcony.
Esteban mentioned that Payne had been staying at the hotel for only a few days. As the operator asked questions, the manager became increasingly anxious and asked if medical responders (known as SAME in Argentina) would be dispatched. He hesitated to involve the police, requesting only medical assistance.
Shortly after this call, hotel employees reportedly heard a loud noise and found Payne’s body in the courtyard below.
On the same day, news broke that the 31-year-old former One Direction member had died from the fall. The Buenos Aires police confirmed that Payne suffered “extremely serious injuries,” and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. According to Alberto Crescenti, head of the emergency medical system in the city, Payne fell from a height of 13 to 14 meters. “There was nothing we could do,” Crescenti told Todo Noticias.
The fall occurred just after 5 p.m. local time, with witnesses reportedly seeing the singer acting erratically in the hotel lobby moments before. According to reports from TMZ, Payne had smashed his laptop prior to being taken back to his room.
Payne had arrived in Argentina two weeks earlier with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. The couple attended a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan on October 2, where Payne appeared upbeat and even mentioned on social media that he was looking forward to reconnecting with Horan. “We’ve got a lot to talk about. I would like to square up a couple of things with him,” Payne said in a Snapchat video, dismissing any bad feelings between them.
Despite these outward signs of happiness, sources told Page Six that Payne had been struggling with personal issues for a long time. He had publicly discussed his battles with addiction and mental health, even revealing on a podcast in 2021 that he had experienced “suicidal ideation” during his time with One Direction.
In 2023, Payne announced that he had completed a rehab program and was over 100 days sober. However, those close to him noted that his challenges had resurfaced in recent months, suggesting that his struggles may have been more severe than he admitted publicly.
The singer is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shares with his ex, singer Cheryl Cole.
