Authorities in Argentina are investigating what happened before Liam Penn fell to his death from his hotel balcony

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The circumstances surrounding the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne are suspicious and possibly drug-related, although there were no signs of third-party involvement, prosecutors in Argentina said Thursday.

Payne, 31, who died on Wednesday, first rose to fame as a teenager and struggled with the pressures of global stardom.

The news of his death caused an uproar around the world, fans and media alike Jump into the Casa Sur Hotel Payne was found dead after drowning in her third-floor hotel room in the glamorous Palermo neighborhood of the Argentine capital. All four of Penn's former One Direction bandmates issued a joint statement saying they were “absolutely devastated”.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” the letter, signed by Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, said. “In time, and when everyone is able, there will be more to say.”

Buenos Aires police said they found Penn's hotel room in “complete disarray” with broken items and furniture. They found clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and over-the-counter medications scattered among his belongings. Argentina's public prosecutor said the room also appeared to contain alcohol and drugs.

Forensic teams said a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone were recovered from the interior courtyard of the building where Penn's body was found.

The prosecutor said an autopsy showed internal bleeding and 25 traumatic injuries to her skull, extremities and abdomen, consistent with a fall. It said that those injuries alone were enough to cause his death.

There were no signs of third-party involvement, it said, but described Penn's case as “suspicious,” citing the possibility that the star had consumed alcohol and drugs. Requested toxicology tests may take several weeks to complete.

The public prosecutor said the lack of defensive injuries on Payne's hands indicated he may have been unconscious, and that evidence suggested Payne was “going through some sort of substance abuse episode” at the time.

All signs indicate Payne was alone at the time of her death, the prosecutor added.

The medical examiner listed her cause of death as “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding.” Authorities said they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who met Payne in his hotel room hours earlier in an effort to reconstruct Payne's last moments.

The two women had left the hotel at the time of the incident, the prosecution said.

At the hotel where Paine died, die-hard fans, both foreign and local, turned up in droves to cry, sing and pay their respects. One musical fan jammed into a One Direction song on his guitar while others sang and filmed on their phones.

Several girls with tear-stained cheeks sat in trance-like silence before a makeshift memorial of candles and colorful flowers lined the street outside the hotel. Some fans taped Penn's portrait and handwritten notes with sad slogans like “Always in my heart” to a tree trunk.

A few kilometers away at the city's central obelisk, a typical Thursday afternoon gives way to a mix of food vendors, tourists and homeless people to a large group of young female fans congregating in mourning.

On Wednesday, police said Payne “jumped from his balcony,” without elaborating on how they came to that conclusion or whether the jump was intentional. Police said they rushed to the hotel shortly after 5pm local time in response to an emergency call warning of an intoxicated guest behaving erratically.

In a 911 call recording obtained by The Associated Press, a hotel manager is heard saying that the hotel “has a guest who is high on drugs and alcohol. … He's destroying the whole room and, we need you to send somebody, please.”

Tributes continued on Thursday From pop art figures and fellow musicians.

Payne was known as a headstrong, intelligent quintet who went from a TV talent show to a pop phenomenon, with a huge international fan following. In recent years, he admitted to struggling with alcoholism, he said on YouTube video It was posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.

“We are heartbroken. Liam will live forever in our hearts and we will remember him for his kind, funny and brave spirit,” his family said in a statement through Penn's representative. “We are supporting each other as best we can as a family and asking for privacy and space during this terrible time.”

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction in 2014, said he was “shocked and saddened.” The Backstreet Boys said in a social media post that their hearts go out to “guides around the world.”

In past interviews, Payne has hinted at the dire consequences of growing up against the surreal backdrop of the entertainment industry.

“I don't think you ever get over it. It's kind of crazy for us that people see about us and what we do,” he told the AP in 2013, where a fan was shocked after meeting him.

One Direction announced an indefinite “hiatus” in 2016, and Payne — like each of his previous bandmates — pursued a solo career, moving into EDM and hip-hop.

While former One Direction singer Harry Styles became a huge solo star, others had more modest success. Penn's 2017 single “Strip That Down”, featuring Quavo, reached the top 10 on Billboard and remained on the chart for several months. He threw it out An album “LP1” in 2019, and her last release – a single called “Teardrops” – was released in March.

In 2020, to mark One Direction's 10th anniversary, Payne shared a screenshot of a text message he sent his father the day he joined the group, which read: “I'm in a boyband.”

“What a journey … I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my dad years ago when the band formed at this exact time,” he wrote.

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Associated Press reporters Natacha Pisarenko and Almudena Calatrava contributed reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina.