Five charged over death of Liam Payne
The One Direction star died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires
Last updated 30th Dec 2024
Five people have been charged over the death of One Direction star Liam Payne.
A manager, receptionist and one of the singer's friends are accused of manslaughter. Two hospitality staff have been charged with supplying drugs.
The singer fell from a third-floor balcony in a hotel in Buenos Aires in October 2024.
Payne died from multiple injuries as well as internal and external bleeding caused by the fall, a post-mortem examination said.
His body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard.
After his death, police found substances in his hotel room, and damaged objects and furniture, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Payne previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, describing hitting "rock bottom" to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host, Steven Bartlett.
He was from Wolverhampton and rose to fame when he appeared on X Factor when he was just 14 years old.
In a group statement after his death, his former bandmates: Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, said they were "completely devastated", and will miss the singer "terribly".