What he shared about battling addiction and mental health

Liam Payne, a singer who rose to fame as a member of the band One Direction, died on October 16 at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Before his death, Payne had struggled with addiction, sharing that he spent 100 days in rehab in 2023.

Payne died after falling from the third floor of a hotel at around 5pm local time. According to a press release from Argentina’s National Prosecutor’s Office on his autopsy report, authorities found what appeared to be alcohol and narcotics in his hotel room.

According to the prosecutor’s office, an analysis has been ordered to determine whether alcohol or drugs were in Payne’s stomach and blood at the time of his death.

Minutes before Payne’s death, a hotel staff member had called “911 for help for a guest who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and had destroyed some items in the room,” according to the statement. The call did not mention Payne by name.

“He’s in a room that has a balcony and we’re a little afraid that he’s going to do something that puts his life at risk,” the staff member said, according to audio obtained by Telemundo, part of NBCUniversal.

“Everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and that he was going through some kind of breakdown as a result of substance abuse,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Payne’s representatives did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment. The musician’s family issued a statement about the loss, calling him “a kind, funny and brave soul.”

Here’s what we know about Payne’s death and what he’s shared about his history of addiction and mental health.

How did Liam Payne die?

In a statement to Telemundo, the EMS offered the following details about Payne’s death on October 16.

“British musician Liam James Payne, songwriter and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo,” the statement said. “In the afternoon, police personnel from Precinct 14B were directed to the hotel by a 911 call reporting an aggressive male who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

The Ministry of Security in Buenos Aires told the Associated Press that Payne had “jumped from the balcony of his room.” When medics responded to the scene, they pronounced Payne dead, citing “extremely serious injuries.”

An autopsy report revealed Payne’s cause of death

According to a statement from Argentina’s National Prosecutor’s Office, Payne died of “polytrauma and internal and external bleeding.”

The statement indicates that “a series of substances were confiscated from the musician’s room, which would demonstrate a previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption”.

After falling from the balcony, Payne experienced “multiple traumatic injuries” and “internal and external bleeding,” which led to his death. Payne appears to have been alone when he fell, and “no injuries were observed to suggest third-party intervention,” prosecutors said.

According to the prosecution, the position in which Payne’s body was found indicated that he “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he may have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness”.

Liam Payne was in rehab last year

In July 2023, Payne filmed a YouTube video to give his fans an update on his health after a 100-day stint in rehab.

“I just needed to take some time because I became someone I didn’t recognize anymore. And I’m sure you guys didn’t either,” she said.

During rehab, Payne didn’t have access to a phone and said the experience was refreshing.

“Up until then I was in bad shape, and I was very happy more than anything when I arrived to put an end to life and work,” he said.

At the time he filmed the video, Payne said he had stopped drinking and had been sober for nearly six months.

“It’s good to be in this position,” he said. “I definitely don’t need this stuff anymore. The party’s over.”

Payne said he was “more in control of life” and focused on being a great father to his son, Bear, who is now 7.

“There’s no point in trying to be a parent when you have nothing to teach,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had much to say to him up until this point other than I care for him deeply and love him very deeply, which are obviously the most important things.”

He used alcohol to cope with One Direction fame

Speaking to Men’s Health Australia in 2019, Payne spoke about the lonely aspects of fame and said he started drinking to help process his feelings. He noted that the repetitive nature of touring was a challenge on days when he wasn’t feeling well mentally.

“It’s almost like putting on a Disney costume before you go on stage, and under the Disney costume I was quite angry at the time because there was no other way to understand what was going on. I mean it was We had a blast, but there were parts where it got a little toxic,” he said.

While appearing on a 2021 episode of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, the singer also recalled the heavy drinking he would do while stuck in his hotel room during tours.

“When we were in the band, the best way to secure ourselves because of how big it was was to lock ourselves in our rooms. And of course, what’s in the room? Mini bar. So, at a certain point, I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to throw a party for one, and it looked like this was going to last many years in my life,'” he said.

He tried therapy to improve his relationship with alcohol

He told USA Today in 2019 that he had been sober for a year and that therapy had helped him have a healthier relationship with alcohol.

“Luckily for me at those times (when I was drinking), I had the best people around me to make me realize different points in my life where I could be better,” he said. “And obviously having kids completely changes the mindset about everything you do.”

“I’m still very young, I’d like to think so at least, so I still have a lot of learning to do. I’m still very much finding myself as a person,” Payne added.

“As you get older, hangovers become something completely different. There’s that old saying, ‘I’m only going to have one,’ but you never know,” he continued. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you make a mistake or the night goes a little too far. … As long as I can do my job the next day to a capable level that I’m happy with, I can just write it off as a lesson and say, “I won’t do it again. I still like to go out and enjoy myself.”

Liam Payne struggled with anxiety

Fame created crippling anxiety for Payne, who told Esquire Middle East he was nervous about venturing outside his home at one point in his career.

Anxiety and substance use disorders often occur in the same people, research shows, although the link is not fully understood.

“I developed a bit of agoraphobia. I would never leave the house. And sometimes I suffer a bit in the sense that I’ll have days where I don’t want to leave the house, even if it’s just to go to the store,” she said.

“I don’t think I fight in the sense that you would naturally think when I’m walking down the street with all the people stopping me,” he continued. “I mean, sometimes it happens, but it’s mostly mentally where you struggle with it. It’s preparing and always knowing that you can be photographed.”

Simple tasks like filling his car with gas and paying at the register created anxiety for the singer at the same time.

“I can feel it now — it was like this horrible anxiety where I’d be sweating buckets in the car thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this,'” she said.

To manage her anxiety, Payne said she likes to go for a run every morning.

“I love it. I go outside and go into the day and overcome the fear of “what if this happens?” or ‘what if this happens?'” he said.

Liam Payne struggled with suicidal thoughts

During a Sky News interview with Ant Middleton in 2019, Paine revealed that he had experienced suicidal thoughts at times during his career. Research shows that addiction can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

“Under certain circumstances, I’m lucky to still be here, something I’ve never shared with anyone,” he said.

Payne spoke of her struggles with “loneliness” and “people walking in on you every day.”

“Every once in a while, you’re like, ‘When is this going to end?’ This has almost killed me a couple of times,” she said, adding that she had considered suicide.

Payne said she relied on friends to support her and looked within to figure out why she felt the way she did.

“When things start piling up on top of each other, that’s when they can really get to you. You really have to change your outlook on it. There’s only one thing you control in this situation: it’s you,” he said.

While appearing on a 2021 episode of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, Payne opened up about the suicidal thoughts he had while a member of One Direction.

“There are things that I’ve definitely never, ever talked about. It was very, very, very serious. And it was a problem,” he said.

This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com