By Eliana Raszewski
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentine police found former One Direction singer Liam Payne’s hotel room in Buenos Aires in “total disorder” in a search after his death, the authority said in a statement on Thursday, with various things broken and medications scattered around.
Payne, 31, who shot to global fame with boy band One Direction, was found dead after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, triggering an outpouring of tributes from fans.
While details surrounding his death remain unclear, Payne had spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and using alcohol to cope with the pressures of fame.
The city police said in a statement that in the atrium of the hotel where Payne had fallen they had found a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a cell phone. They said they had taken finger prints from those.
In the room of the luxury hotel in the trendy Palermo district of the city, the police said they found over-the-counter medications, energy packs and anxiety drug Clonazepam.
“Upon entering, total disorder was observed, with various elements broken,” the police said in a statement, adding they had taken more fingerprints and other evidence to be analyzed in the labs, as well as a notebook and passport.
“The balcony area was inspected in order to establish access to it,” the police force added.
Before Payne’s fall, a hotel employee had called emergency services, asking for help with a guest who was trashing his room and appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, an audio obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry showed.
“We have a guest who is intoxicated by drugs and alcohol. And, well, he’s … When he’s conscious, he breaks, he’s breaking the whole room. And, well, we need you to send someone, please,” the hotel worker told police in the 911 call.
“We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know if the guest’s life is at risk. He is in a room with a balcony. And, well, we are a little afraid that he will do something that will put his life at risk.”
One Direction found global success after Simon Cowell brought together Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson on Britain’s X Factor talent show in 2010.
They went on to sell 70 million records, with six top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100, including “What Makes You Beautiful”, “Story of My Life” and “Live While We’re Young”. Payne’s co-writing credits included “Story of My Life” and “Night Changes”.
(Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; Editing by Adam Jourdan)
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