Liam Payne's tragic final 24 hours: Nicole Scherzinger texts and ex-girlfriend at hotel

Nicole Scherzinger's heartbreaking photo of last time she saw Liam Payne. (Image: Instagram)

One Direction star Liam Payne has tragically died following a fall from his hotel room balcony in Argentina on Wednesday, October 16. The ex-X-Factor sensation sustained "serious injuries that were incompatible with life" after falling from the third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel just after 5pm local time.

An official statement released to The Associated Press by Argentinian authorities confirmed that the father-of-one had "jumped from the balcony of his room", seemingly ruling out any possibility of an accidental fall or criminal involvement.

Investigators are piecing together the singer's final day, with explosive new claims surfacing today that his former girlfriend was present at the same hotel during the week of his passing. Liam had been in Argentina with his partner, Kate Cassidy, planning a brief five-day getaway that unexpectedly extended to a fortnight.

Kate chose to return home early, expressing to her online audience: "I was so ready to leave. Love South America, but I hate staying in one place for too long and we were supposed to be there for five days, turned into two weeks and I was just like, 'I need to go home'."

Reports now suggest that Liam checked into the luxurious Casa Sur Hotel suite by himself three days prior to his untimely death. Local media claim he was compelled to vacate his previous accommodation, reports the Mirror.

Liam spoke to his close friend Jodie before his death (Image: Instagram)

The entertainment scene is still reeling from his untimely death, but Nicole Scherzinger's unwavering connection to the star in his final hours is touching hearts.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who closely worked with Nicole on the Broadway hit Sunset Boulevard, shared a poignant detail with Billboard: "I suppose something that hasn't been said, and I suppose I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam, from One Direction.

"On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him that day."

Despite the shock of Liam's death, Nicole showed remarkable strength hitting the stage as Norma Desmond that very evening. Andrew lauded her professionalism, proclaiming: "The fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary. I mean, she is an amazing, amazing woman. She is without any question one of the finest performers I've ever worked with."

Paying her respects, Nicole remembered Liam fondly in a heartfelt tribute, posting an image of them with Kelly Rowland from their recent collaboration. She wrote: "Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from 15 years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago.

"It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had."

Nicole Scherzinger helped form One Direction on The X Factor. (Image: Getty)

It was reported this week that Liam Payne's ex-girlfriend was spotted at the same hotel.

The hotel manager, who contacted emergency services prior to Liam's tragic fall, disclosed that the singer's "ex-partner" was also present at the establishment. On the Argentinian broadcast 'Telenoche' from El Trece, Esteban Grassi revealed: "He was seen alone but his ex-partner was around."

Pressed on the matter during the show, with the query "So she was staying at the hotel too? " Grassi confirmed: "Yes" and elaborated: "A floor above, yes." This snippet of the interview made its rounds online, catching the attention of viewers and being picked up by other media outlets in Argentina.

The identity of the person Grassi alluded to remains shrouded in uncertainty. Reports indicate that he was one of three hotel employees interrogated by prosecutors.

Liam Payne was just 31 when he died. (Image: Getty)

Before his untimely death, which has deeply shaken many, Liam was accompanied by two women at the upscale Casa Sur Hotel. The trio made their way into the posh hotel at around 11.30am on Wednesday and proceeded to Liam's exclusive suite.

Their departure was noted five hours afterwards at 4pm, a mere 60 minutes before the dreadful incident. In the moments leading up to this tragic event, Liam was reportedly involved in a heated altercation with an unidentified woman in the hotel lobby concerning financial matters, culminating in his fatal 45ft drop into the courtyard below.

Prosecutors said they interrogated five individuals, including two women who accompanied Liam, for a "reconstruction of his last hours", stating: "He was with two women in his room where there was access to drugs. [Woman A] gave a statement last night and [Woman B] has just finished hers."

The women in question reportedly vacated the premises before Liam's harrowing fall and are being treated as "key witnesses" in the case by the press, rather than as suspects regarding his death.

Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate left Argentina days before his death. (Image: Getty)

The final photo of Liam shows him making his way into the Casa Sur Hotel. His behaviour was reportedly "out of place" and a hotel worker claimed he seemed "desperate" for recognition from the other guests.

Reportedly, he made his presence known in the lobby by exclaiming, "I'm Liam", unexpectedly, directed at a line of guests waiting for the elevator. Following this interaction, Liam is said to have returned to the lobby, bringing along his laptop and reading an email that "upset him".

The staff member stated: "Suddenly he took the computer, shouted 'f**k this s**t mate! ' and started bashing the computer on the ground."

She voiced her concern, asking if he was alright. Recounting the details, she elaborated: "But he just kind of grunted. Then he said 'I used to be in a boyband. That's why I'm so f**ked up'."

Liam Payne died at the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina. (Image: Getty)

Just hours before his tragic demise, the singer had spoken to close friend Jodie Richards. During their last conversation on Wednesday, he mentioned having a "chilled-out morning" and did not reveal any "cause for concern".

She recounted her shock and disbelief upon hearing the news of his death, saying: "He was looking forward to his day, he said he was having a chill, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"He's always somewhere more glamorous than we are so LA, Argentina, I have to look at the time difference to see where he is, he usually texts me and it's the middle of our night. He seemed fine, he looked happy, he looked healthy - no reason for any kind of concern and then obviously I heard it on the news."

In an emotional interview with Sky News, she continued: "I thought it was fake news, I tried to phone him. Obviously he wasn't answering. I tried to text him, it wasn't going to a 'read' message - normally it does quite quickly, then as I turned the telly on it was getting more and more apparent it wasn't fake."

Liam Payne rose to fame in One Direction. (Image: Getty)

In a harrowing 911 call released to the public, it emerged that the 31-year-old may have been under the influence at the time of his death, according to local media. Hotel staff made a frantic plea for help to emergency services, with the receptionist urgently stating over the phone: "We have a guest who's off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come."

After the call was cut off, the receptionist urgently added: "I don't know if the guest's life is in danger. The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something."

Moments later, with a sense of dread, the receptionist stated: "Just send an ambulance. Only an ambulance."

Local witnesses have reported that Liam suffered a "psychotic episode" just before his tragic passing. An office worker near the Casa Sur hotel recounted that the on-site masseuse described Liam's behaviour as erratic.

Hotel residents have reported experiencing "loud" and "violent" sounds emanating from Liam's room shortly before the news of his death broke. BBC interviewed a fellow guest, Doug Jones, who initially thought: "I thought they were working on the room. There was a lot of noise, like heavy lifting, like banging, a lot of loud, violent noises, I thought."

A witness saw hotel employees entering the suite where Liam was purportedly staying, disclosing: "I saw hotel people going in and out of that room, so I thought they were doing work. About 4pm, 4.30pm, I started hearing some more noise, I was still doing work. I heard a really loud, violent scream around 4.45pm, 5pm."

As authorities reached the scene just shy of 5pm, they encountered an alarming sound, noted at precisely 5.04pm. Not long afterwards, the onlooker described witnessing a street suddenly swarming with law enforcement, as the events of Wednesday evening tragically escalated.

Upon examining Liam's hotel room, investigators uncovered "what appeared to be narcotics, alcohol, destroyed objects and furniture", with confirmation from detectives.