Liam Payne had already 'attempted balcony escape' weeks before Argentina tragedy

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne had previously escaped a hotel room by the balcony before his tragic death last month in Argentina at the age of 31

Singer Liam Payne had tried to escape a hotel room before his tragic death last month.

The former One Direction star died at the age of 31 on October 16 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He had been staying at CasaSur Palmero and died from multiple injuries as well as internal and external bleeding caused by the fall, a post-mortem examination said.

His body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard. After his death, police found substances in his hotel room as well as damaged objects and furniture, according to the public prosecutor’s office. Witnesses and a since filed police report, have allege the Buenos Aires hotel knew Liam was threatening to use the balcony as a means to flee but left him by himself.

Liam reportedly had a repeated aversion to being confined in hotel rooms, a reaction that traced back to his years in One Direction. His dislike of such situations reportedly led to at least one other balcony escape attempt in September, when Liam’s security confined him to a room in a Florida rental property due to concerns over potential drug use.

During that incident, the 31-year-old is alleged to have attempted to escape through a balcony, using a garden hose to shimmy to the ground. Three years before his death, Liam opened up about his struggles with fame and said touring with his bandmates when he was just a teenager "really f****d him up."

He said the worst part was getting "locked up" in hotel rooms for security reasons after performing. Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, Liam said: "My dad said it from day one - lonely hotel rooms, man - getting locked in that room is not fun when you've been exposed."

On the day of his death, witnesses have claimed Liam told hotel staff he did not want to stay in the room and even warned them he would use the balcony to escape if confined. Despite his warning, hotel employees reportedly used a master key to place Liam in his room.

Minutes later, a hotel employee called 911, noting the singer was in a room with a balcony and expressing fear that he might attempt to escape. “I don’t know whether his life may be in danger. He is in a room with a balcony, and, well, we’re a little afraid,” the hotel employee stated during the call, according to the transcript.

Liam apparently attempted an escape route involving the balcony, leading to a tragic fall. His body was found with a bag that was not present when he was carried from the lobby. Liam may have planned his descent in stages as a second-floor hotel guest discovered a leather bag containing pills, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, and a note labelled “for Liam” on their balcony.

Investigators believe the bag, identified as the singer’s and not the one found next to his body, was lowered to the second-floor balcony as part of his attempted escape. Police have ruled out suicide, believing the singer was likely in a state of "semi or total unconsciousness" at the time of his fall.

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