Liam Payne was under the influence of potent hallucinogenic drugs that cause psychotic attacks and hallucinations when he died in Argentina on Wednesday, TMZ reports.
Buenos Aires police officers told the outlet Friday that the former One Direction star was high on “Cristal,” which is a dangerous substance that “causes users to experience extreme highs and extreme lows, often making them aggressive.”
Police told TMZ his reported “erratic” behavior may be partly due to the drug and may have caused him to hallucinate, leading him to jump off the third-story balcony of his hotel room at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.
Police are still investigating. Page Six has reached out to the star’s reps for comment.
Liam Payne was under the influence of a potent hallucinogenic drug called “cristal” when he died, TMZ reported Friday. Getty Images for Bauer Media
Police told TMZ the drug may have caused him to hallucinate, leading him to jump off the third-story balcony of his hotel room at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. AFP via Getty Images
On Friday, Page Six exclusively reported that the star was struggling with substance abuse when he died at age 31.
“Liam was battling a very significant drug addiction and his treatment, as those who knew him will attest, was not working,” an industry insider told us.
Some eyewitnesses have come forward with their alleged observations of Payne’s concerning behavior during his final hours at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel as well.
A hotel guest told the Daily Mail Friday that she saw the musician smashing his laptop after becoming infuriated by an email he saw.
Payne died on Wednesday immediately after his fall. WireImage
He suffered multiple traumas that led to internal and external bleeding. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
“I went over, asked, ‘Are you OK?’ But he just kind of grunted. Then he said, ‘I used to be in a boy band. That’s why I’m so f–ked up,’” she remembered of their alleged interaction.
Another guest claimed he saw Payne in the hotel lobby arguing with an unnamed woman about money.
“I’ll give you $20,000 just because I can. I have $55 million and I like to help people,” Payne allegedly told the female, according to Michael Fleischmann, who stayed at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Wednesday.
Fleischmann also said the “Strip That Down” singer seemed “very upset, agitated, a little wild, walking around and pacing, and seemed very energized.”
Hotel guests claimed Payne was acting abnormally on Wednesday before he fell to his death. PA Images/INSTARimages
One guest claimed he smashed his laptop after being upset about an email, while another said he overheard the star arguing with an unnamed woman about money. Getty Images for Laureus
Photos of Payne’s destroyed hotel room were released after his death. The images showed what appeared to be a wooden dresser covered in burn marks, white powder, pieces of tin foil and a burnt tea light candle.
There was also a smashed TV in addition to other scattered pieces of litter.
The hotel manager, identified as a man named Esteban, made an emergency call to police Wednesday night over Payne’s alarming behavior before he fell to his death and said he feared he could potentially harm himself.
He also destroyed his hotel room, as exemplified by the above photo released by the Buenos Aires Police. Buenos Aires Police/AFP via Getty Images
The CasaSur Palermo Hotel manager called the police over the room damages and Payne’s disturbing behavior before his fatal fall. LUKE / SplashNews.com
“We have a guest who is [allegedly] high and drunk; and when he is conscious, he is destroying his room and we need you to send someone, please,” he said in distressing audio obtained by Argentinian outlet La Nacion.
“We need you to send someone urgently because I don’t know if his life is in danger.”
Payne’s disturbing actions got him “kicked out” of the Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt Buenos Aires before he booked a stay at CasaSur Palermo Hotel, according to People.
He was reportedly forced to leave the hotel because “he was being a nuisance and disturbing the other guests and appeared intoxicated.”
Payne’s family and colleagues have all commemorated him following his tragic death. Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal
Payne’s One Direction bandmates have also paid tribute to him. FilmMagic
Payne has been memorialized as a supportive friend and talented musician by his colleagues, family and former One Direction bandmates.
Zayn Malik thanked him for supporting him through “some of the most difficult times in [his] life.”
Niall Horan remembered him as “the brightest in every room” and as someone who “always made everyone feel happy and secure.”
Payne began abusing drugs and alcohol while in the world-famous boy band. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
The band was active between 2010 and 2016. Sony Music via Getty Images
Louis Tomlinson, meanwhile, called him a “vital part of One Direction.”
The group formed in 2010 on the UK’s “X Factor,” after which the boys skyrocketed to fame.
It was during that time that Payne began abusing drugs and alcohol.
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