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Liam Payne: Grief as picture emerges of singer's final hours | Ents & Arts News
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Liam Payne: Grief as picture emerges of singer's final hours | Ents & Arts News

The room on the third floor of the Hotel Casa Sur where Liam Payne stayed is now cordoned off with police tape.

Hotel guests walk up and down the corridor, but a police officer makes sure no one interferes in the location, which is still under investigation.

How and why did One Direction become a star? falls to his death from the balcony of this room and was there any third party involvement?

A 911 emergency call has already been leaked in which a hotel employee expresses concern for a guest who he believes is under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

It is part of a dark picture of the 31-year-old's final hours.

Liam Payne fans in Argentina mourn his death
Picture:
Payne fans in Argentina mourn his death. Image: AP

Read more:
Former One Direction star Harry Styles pays tribute to Liam Payne
Liam Payne's close friend reveals final messages to her

Sky News has seen police footage from the room, which authorities say was completely devastated.

The images show a smashed television screen, unknown white substances and aluminum foil scattered on surfaces.

Other guests at the hotel in Buenos Aires' upscale Palermo district include a group of at least 20 people from the United States who are in town for a friend's wedding.

For Doug Jones, it's his first time leaving the United States and he didn't know what to expect.

He lives in the room across from Payne. The day before the singer's death, Doug said he saw hotel staff moving in and out of the room with furniture.

“I assumed they were doing renovations because they had tool kits and drills,” he said.

The day Payne died, Doug said he heard a lot of excitement coming from the room.

“A lot of crashing and banging and screaming,” he said. The climax came around 5 p.m., Doug says, when he heard a “violent male scream.”

Forensics in the hotel. Image:: Reuters
Picture:
Forensics in the hotel. Image: Reuters

He walked outside and onto the tree-lined street lined with chic restaurants, bars, and luxury shops.

Suddenly it was full of police cars. It was then that he realized that something tragic had happened.

“I had heard of One Direction but I didn't recognize Liam Payne, but some of the women attending the wedding had seen him in the elevator,” he said. “Now a policewoman is sitting outside my room and watching his room. I’m not sure how long she’ll be there.”

Other guests say they saw Payne having a heated discussion with a woman in the hotel lobby just hours before his death.

Pictures from Liam Payne's hotel room in Buenos Aires. Image: Buenos Aires Police
Picture:
Pictures from Payne's hotel room in Buenos Aires. Image: Buenos Aires Police

A 15-minute drive across town leads to the morgue, where forensic experts estimate Payne suffered 25 different injuries in the fall, including massive internal and external bleeding. His injuries were said to be incompatible with life.

Baleria Linares, a 21-year-old student who lives just a few streets away from the Casa Sur Hotel, returned to join other fans who gathered to cry and sing One Direction songs. “We are together in our grief,” she said.

“Liam means so much to me,” she added through sobs, “he helped me through a difficult time in my life. When I was happy I listened to them, when I was sad I listened to them. I love her with all my heart.” Heart. But I know that he is resting now.

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“You saved my life at some point”

Some fans hold bouquets of flowers, others pin notes decorated with pictures of Payne to a nearby tree.

“You will always be in our hearts,” it says.

Morena Farias Gomez sobs as her friend tries to comfort her. “This is devastating news,” she said, “I’ve been a One Direction fan for ten years. I think they saved my life at some point, it was my teenage years, I grew up with them.”

The grief is real here, but it is even worse thousands of miles away with Payne's family in the United Kingdom, waiting to bring his body home.

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