Liam Payne’s friend has claimed the star had been clean for weeks before his death but that drug dealers “preyed on him” in Argentina.
Former One Direction star Liam died after falling from the third floor of the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday (October 16). There had been reports that he was acting erratically before he fell and that what appeared to be drug paraphernalia was later found in his room. While final toxicology reports have not yet been made available, it has been widely reported that an Argentine official has said that an initial report found the singer had cocaine in his body when he died.
The Daily Mail has now quoted a friend of the late star as saying that he had been “clean for weeks”.
READ MORE: Liam Payne toxicology report as star had 'traces of Class A drug' in his system
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They said: “He went to Argentina to renew his USA visa where he had to undergo medical examination because of his history with alcohol and drugs. The results of the tests were good. Liam was 100% sober.”
The source claimed that after the Strip That Down singer got to his hotel in Buenos Aires, “at some point” someone started giving him drugs. “Liam had tried really hard to get clean, then they preyed on him,” the person told the publication. “These people only care about money." Whoever it was also "didn't care about his health", the friend claimed.
Liam, who died at the age of 31, had been outspoken about substance abuse troubles after shooting to fame in the boy band when he was in his teens. In 2021 he posted a video on YouTube video after spending close to 100 days in rehab in the US. At that time he said he had been sober for almost six months.
He said: “I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognise anymore and I’m sure you guys didn’t either. I was in bad shape up until that point and I was really happy to kind of put a stopper to life and work.”
The singer told his fans at the time that being in the facility had helped him. “I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me, I just feel like I’ve got more of a handle on it," he shared.
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