Liam Payne's fatal plunge in Argentina hotel linked to 'powerful hallucinogenic' drug

According to officials, Liam Payne died after falling from an Argentina hotel room balcony on Wednesday night while under the influence of a strong narcotic that can produce hallucinations.

Liam Payne.

Dave Benett/Getty Images

The former One Direction member was using "Cristal," a deadly narcotic that "causes users to experience extreme highs and extreme lows, often making them aggressive," Buenos Aires officials told TMZ on Friday.

The 31-year-old former boy bander's "erratic" behavior leading up to his death could have been caused by drugs.

It could also have produced a delusion, which contributed to his deadly fall from the third-floor balcony of his room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, according to officials.

Photos taken inside Payne's hotel suite following his death depict a chaotic scene. Trashed rooms, champagne bottles, a broken television, and a slew of drug paraphernalia, including powders and tinfoil.

The photos also show a Dove soap packet, an empty glass, the remains of a burned candle, and the scorched top of a drink can on a desk, as well as traces of a white powder that authorities will test to see if it is cocaine, according to La Nacion, Argentina's largest newspaper, which confirmed the alarming images.

Investigators discovered wax and burned foil in the suite's bathtub. 

Payne's body was discovered on the bottom level with "a bottle of whiskey, a lighter, and a cellphone," as reported by sources.

First responders reported a "cranial fracture" that resulted in "immediate death," according to La Nacion. Medics stated that Payne's injuries were "incompatible with life."

Payne had already gone to treatment twice, first as a member of One Direction and once after the group disbanded, and had spoken about how addiction had made him suicidal.

"I was scared about how far my rock bottom would be. Where is rock bottom for me? And you would never have noticed it. I'm really skilled at disguising it. "No one would ever have seen it," Payne remarked during a 2021 episode on the podcast "The Diary of a CEO." 

He allegedly told people he was sober in the months leading up to his death, according to a source with firsthand knowledge.

He became famous after auditioning for "The X Factor" at the age of 16 in 2010. He later joined the successful boy band One Direction, which disbanded in 2015.

Payne leaves behind a seven-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with his ex Cheryl Cole.