What appears to be the last photo of One Direction star Liam Payne was shared on one of his social media accounts shortly before the news of his death emerged. Payne reportedly in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, after falling from the hotel's balcony, as confirmed by La Nacion, TMZ, and GMA. He was 31.
It is believed that he fell from his hotel balcony under the influence of drugs and alcohol, though the official cause of death has not yet been revealed. Photos from inside Payne's hotel room have surfaced online, revealing a scene of chaos. The room appeared to be in disarray, with several personal items strewn around.
Final Photo Before Shocking Death
The singer's final social media post, shared on Payne's Snapchat, featured him wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap while sitting in a chair with his knees together, gazing off into the distance. The pose appeared to reference a scene from the movie "Forrest Gump."
"Halloween costume idea: forest gump," Payne wrote in a caption over the photo.
Earlier that day, the father of 7-year-old son Bear was active on Snapchat, sharing a shirtless photo with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, and uploading a video captioned: "Lovely day in Argentina."
It remains unclear when the photos and videos posted on Payne's Snapchat on Wednesday were originally taken.
In the now-deleted video, Payne and Cassidy shared their plans to spend the day horseback riding and playing polo. One of his Snapchat captions read, "Polo Liam unlocked."
In another video, the former One Direction member shared that he and his girlfriend were "enjoying" their vacation and posted a clip of them making silly faces at the camera. He captioned it, "Quality time ."
He also shared a picture of himself holding his dog, with the caption, "Out like a light."
He recently attended a concert by his former One Direction bandmate, Niall Horan, in Argentina's capital.
"We're going to Argentina," he said on Instagram recently. "One, because we want to. Two, because we want to. And three, because Niall Horan's playing down there and I think we might just go and say 'hello.'"
Death Still Under Investigation
On the day of his death, Payne was reportedly behaving "erratically." He allegedly slammed his laptop on the front desk of his Buenos Aires hotel and had to be escorted back to his room. This came as disturbing photos of his hotel room emerged on social media.
The images show a smashed laptop in the hotel lobby and powdery substances scattered across surfaces, fueling speculation about possible drug use.
Police suspect that Payne may have been under the influence of drugs before his fall.
The photos, initially shared by the outlet TMX, soon went viral, adding to the mystery surrounding his death.
The pictures, which also showed Payne's lifeless body, were later taken down, raising a debate about the ethics of publishing such sensitive content.
The images, reportedly sourced from local Argentinian media, have caused outrage online, with discussions about privacy and respect for the dead now at the forefront of the conversation. The authenticity of the images has yet to be verified by officials.
Further reports suggest that police were alerted to an "aggressive man" at the hotel, with sources indicating that Payne may have been under the influence of both drugs and alcohol.
The circumstances surrounding his fall are still under investigation, but conflicting accounts of his behavior prior to the incident have emerged.
