One Direction singer Liam Payne’s preliminary autopsy released

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Buenos Aires officials described the scene where they found Liam Payne after the One Direction singer fell from a hotel balcony Wednesday.

Update 1:38 p.m. ET, Oct. 17: Payne’s death is being investigated as a “doubtful death” but the prosecutor’s office said it appears that he was alone when he fell and that he was going through a breakdown due to substance abuse, according to a translated report from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 in Buenos Ares.

An autopsy showed Payne died from “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” from the fall from the third-floor balcony. There were 25 injuries that correspond from falling from that height, including injuries to his head, thorax, abdomen and limbs, according to the report.

There were no defensive injuries found.

“Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” prosecutors said.

More tests, including toxicological tests, were requested to know what was in his system when he died.

When investigators entered his room, they said they found what they believed were narcotics and alcohol, along with several items, including furniture, that had been destroyed.

Original report: The Argentinan capital city’s emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti said Payne had “serious injuries” that were not treatable by the time first responders arrived, US Weekly reported.

“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” Crescenti told La Nacion. “Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”

An autopsy has not been completed that would determine the exact cause of death.

Crescenti said that the first responders “could do absolutely nothing” and that the singer was already dead. “The whole body had very serious injuries.”

Several local media outlets, as well as Sky News, reported the hotel’s chief receptionist had called the authorities after concerns arose about Payne’s behavior before he fell.

The worker told emergency services that Payne was intoxicated and assumed he was “under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” La Nacion and People magazine reported. The call was made about 10 minutes before Payne fell.

The worker said that Payne was “trashing the entire room,” the BBC reported.

The worker told the operator at SAME, the city’s emergency services system, that Payne may be in “danger” because he was “in a room with a balcony,” the BBC reported, citing translated transcripts of the call.

Payne’s family released a statement that read, “Liam will live forever in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” Reuters reported.

Hours before his death, Payne posted to social media, “It was a lovely day here in Argentina,” but was looking forward to returning home, CNN reported.

The entertainment world and the band’s fans were rocked when news of his death broke.

Fans traveled to CasaSur Palermo Hotel where Payne died and sang One Direction’s songs as they mourned, The New York Times reported.

They said they were in shock, hoping that the news wasn’t true.

“I feel like it’s like a dream, like I’m going to sleep now and tomorrow it’s all going to be a lie...I think it’s going to take me a while to accept all this, it’s very complicated,” Micaela Ibertis told Reuters.

Singer Charlie Puth wrote on Instagram he was “in shock” when he found out and that Payne was “one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone.”

The Backstreet Boys wrote on X, “Words cannot express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now.”

The former members of One Direction did not release statements as of Thursday morning. However, Henry Styles’ mother, Anne Twist, wrote on Instagram “Just a boy” along with a picture of a broken heart.

Payne tried out for X Factor in 2008 when he was 14 but didn’t make the cut. Simon Cowell told him to come back when he was older. He did in 2010 and the judges teamed him with Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson to create One Direction.

“They’re just too talented to get rid of. They’ve got just the right look and the right charisma onstage. I think they’ll be really great in a boy band together. They’re like little stars. You can’t get rid of little stars, you know? So, you put ‘em all together.” Nicole Scherzinger said, according to Billboard.

They didn’t win the competition, but Cowell signed them shortly after the show was done.

In 2011, the band’s first single, “What Makes You Beautiful” climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In all they released five albums before taking a break in 2015 and officially breaking up the next year, The New York Times reported. The band sold more than 70 million records, CNN reported.

Payne had spoken about the toll celebrity took on him, speaking frankly about substance abuse and mental health.

He also embarked on a solo career, releasing his first album “LP1″ in 2019. Last year he said he was working on his second, releasing the single “Teardrops.”

Last summer, Payne marked six months of sobriety and had been scheduled to go on tour, but it was postponed due to a kidney infection, CNN reported.

Payne leaves behind his 7-year-old son, Bear.

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Remembering Liam Payne Fans of British singer Liam Payne lit candles next to the hotel where he died in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024. British singer Liam Payne, former member of the group One Direction, died Wednesday aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, police in Buenos Aires said. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images) (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)

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Through the years LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 11: (L-R) Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne of X-Factor band One Direction attend the Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 World film premiere at Odeon Leicester Square on November 11, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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