(CNN) — Three people have been charged in Argentina for crimes related to the death of Liam Payne, a former member of the boyband One Direction, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
The British pop star, who was 31, died on October 16 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The late singer had alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system before his death, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office also said Thursday.
The toxicology results indicated that Payne “may have fallen into a state of semi or total unconsciousness,” it said.
The prosecutor’s office also said medical examinations confirmed that the singer’s injuries were “compatible with those caused by falling from a height.” Examinations ruled out self-inflicted injuries or the intervention of other people, the office added.
Investigators had interviewed two female escorts who were with Payne in the hours before his death, a source with knowledge of the case told CNN on Friday. The women, both age 25, stated they did not see Payne use drugs in front of them, but he did consume alcohol, the individual added.
Payne rocketed to global stardom as part of One Direction, the massively popular boyband that was created on the British version of the X Factor in 2010. The group, which included members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, announced an “indefinite hiatus” in 2016.
He had spoken openly about his struggles with substance abuse and his mental health. In the summer of 2023, Payne said he was marking six months of sobriety after completing treatment in a US facility. Payne’s tour was set to kick off in South America in September of that year, but he had to postpone the scheduled dates after suffering a kidney infection.
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