Liam Payne seen in chilling final photo taken just before he plunged to his death
A photo of Liam Payne heading up to his Argentina hotel room is believed to be the last time the One Direction alum was spotted alive before plunging to his death from a third-floor balcony, a new report says.
The 31-year-old singer was captured on surveillance cameras going into an elevator at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, local network America TV reported.
The chilling final image, which was aired by the outlet, showed Payne wearing a white sleeveless top with his arm tattoos visible.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the snap was taken.
Sometime later, a hotel manager frantically called authorities to report that a guest — whom he described as being under the influence of “drugs and alcohol” — was destroying his room and “putting his life at risk.”
“When he’s conscious, he’s breaking up the whole room. And, well, we need you to send someone, please,” the manager said in an audio recording of the call.
When first responders rushed to the scene, they found Payne’s body in the hotel’s inner courtyard.
Medical officials have since revealed he fractured his skull and died instantly from the fall.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti said.
“Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”
He added: “The team could do absolutely nothing. There was no resuscitation because it was confirmed that he had died. The whole body had very serious injuries.”
The singer’s body has been sent for an autopsy, officials said.