Drugs & Alcohol

Liam Payne was trying to escape from his hotel when he fell to his death, and the hotel knew he was threatening to use the balcony as the means to escape, but left him by himself ... this according to witnesses, the police report, a 911 call and surveillance video.

Here's what we know. Liam hated being locked up in hotel rooms ... something he had to deal with during his time in One Direction. He had used the balcony escape plan before, most recently in mid-September, when sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Liam's bodyguard was concerned he might have been on a drug binge and forced him inside a room in a Florida rental house. Liam escaped from a balcony, using a garden hose to reach the ground.

Look at the surveillance screenshots from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Liam, who was disruptive in the lobby and clearly under the influence, is splayed out as 3 hotel workers carry him to his room, minutes before he fell to his death. Liam is clearly conscious -- although we blurred his face, he is holding his head upright.

Saquon Barkley was unstoppable in the Philadelphia Eagles' "Sunday Night Football" win over the Rams -- which could only mean one thing -- a drug test from the league!!!

But, except for one thing ... it was just a prank his teammates pulled on their star running back!

Barkley found the fake note in his locker following the Eagles' 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium -- where SB rushed for 255 rushing yards, a career-high for him, and the ninth most ever in an NFL game.

"That's not me," Barkley laughed, revealing tight end Dallas Goedert put the notice on his locker as a joke.

Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne left the crowd at his concert a mess ... sharing a powerful message to his deceased One Direction bandmate -- and, the sobs were audible.

The singer-songwriter took the stage in Leeds, England Saturday ... his first show since Liam passed away after falling from his balcony at a hotel in Argentina in mid-October.

While most of the show seems to have been a pretty standard Zayn concert, it ended with a huge blue screen adorned with Liam's name, year of birth and death, followed by "Love You Bro" and a red heart emoji.

One of the three men charged with selling the drugs that killed rapper Mac Miller has been released from federal prison, TMZ has learned.

According to a rep for the Bureau of Prisons ... Cameron James Pettit was sprung from the Federal Correctional Institution Mendota, California, on October 11 after he was arrested in 2019 and charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances resulting in death. His two co-defendants, Stephen Walter, and Ryan Reavis, were also busted and indicted on the same federal charges.

Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Walter and Reavis each copped to one count of distribution of fentanyl and were sentenced to around 17 years and 11 years behind bars, respectively.

Denzel Washington is getting real about his battle with alcohol, admitting his wine consumption ravaged his body.

The Oscar-winning actor sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Esquire while promoting his new flick "Gladiator II" — and, at one point, he went into detail about his love for expensive wines.

Denzel said it started in earnest in 1999 when he constructed a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar in his house, which only served to enhance his booze intake.

Pete Davidson is not nursing a broken heart in rehab ... this according to his falsely alleged ex-girlfriend, Maria Georgas, who shut down the growing rumors about the actor.

ICYMI ... a report circulated Sunday that the comedian had allegedly checked himself into rehab after finding himself in "bad shape" after splitting from "The Bachelor" alum.

However, this is all a bunch nonsense, as Maria posted on her Instagram Stories amid the gossip ... setting the record straight about her relationship with Pete and weighing in on his sobriety journey.

Tim Matheson says he's lucky he never got too big into cocaine ... saying he played hard -- but, he worried too much about how the white stuff would affect his work to get addicted.

The star of "Animal House" spoke with Page Six about his new memoir, "Damn Glad to Meet You" -- a reference to a line his character says to prospective pledges in the iconic college fraternity film -- and, he explains that because he was a working actor, he was afraid of overindulging in coke.

Basically, Matheson says he wasn't a star and lived paycheck to paycheck ... and, he was acutely aware he could lose his income unless he continued to perform well.

Raekwon and Charlamagne Tha God's new Hashtoria dispensary is open for business -- and they're all about infusing culture with the joys of cannabis!!!

TMZ Hip Hop was on hand for the Newark grand opening of Hashtoria this week ... the Wu-Tang and Breakfast Club maestros co-founded the operation with attorney Bakari Sellers and entrepreneur Jedd Canty.

Rae's been crumblin' herb for a long time and is proud of his own strain "Compliments of the Chef," but assures us Method Man can smoke him and his fellow Clan soldiers under the table 👐🏾💨

Liam Payne sought out the hotel employee accused of delivering him drugs very shortly before his death ... and their interaction is captured in this newly discovered surveillance footage.

TMZ exclusively obtained the video showing Liam briefly stepping out of an elevator in the basement of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires... chatting with one of the 3 people charged in connection with his death.

Our sources at the hotel tell us the staffer who shakes hands and chats with Liam in the video is Ezequiel David Pereyra ... a bellboy at the hotel who police say delivered drugs to Liam in a soap box. While police have not yet confirmed it's Pereyra in this video, we know they have the footage.

Nelly can put his August arrest for possession of ecstasy behind him and focus on the jackpot he won the same night ... prosecutors will not be issuing the "Country Grammar" rapper any charges.

Chris King, spokesperson for St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, tells TMZ Hip Hop, "We don't believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges."

Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, gave us further clarity ... "Wesley Bell, the prosecuting attorney, and his office looked at all the circumstances and after a fair and impartial review of the evidence, declined to prosecute."

One of the 3 people charged in Liam Payne's death probe is speaking out for the first time, saying he did nothing wrong in connection with the singer’s tragic death last month.

Braian Nahuel Paiz, who has been accused by Argentinian authorities of allegedly supplying drugs to the 1D star, spoke to local news outlet Telefe Notifica -- admitting to having 2 hotel meetings with the singer -- but he denies ever supplying Payne with drugs or receiving any money from him.

Paiz told the outlet he first met Liam at the restaurant where he worked as a waiter on October 2. He claimed Liam didn’t eat anything because he was already under the influence of drugs, and says Liam later invited Paiz to his Buenos Aires hotel room, where they took a few whiskey shots together.

Rita Ora could barely contain her grief while tributing Liam Payne at MTV's European Music Awards Sunday ... choking up as she lauded her late pal for his positive personality.

The singer-songwriter -- who hosted the show in Manchester, England -- took the stage during one break and highlighted Liam, who passed away after falling from a hotel balcony last month.

Rita starts out by saying the team behind the EMAs just wanted to take a minute to remember Liam ... a great friend to MTV and her personally.

Kevin DiCicco, the man who owned Buddy -- star of the popular "Air Bud" movies -- and helped create the film series is in dire straits ... he's homeless, about to be kicked out of the shelter where he's staying.

TMZ spoke to DiCicco Saturday ... who tells us he's staying at a shelter down in San Diego, but his 90-day limit is coming to an end soon -- and, he has no idea where he'll go from here. It's the end of the line ... and, he's terrified.

Kevin -- who found future dog actor Buddy near his Yosemite cabin and took him in back in the day -- explains his next step seems to be living on the street ... complicated by the major health issue with which he is dealing.

Liam Payne did not commit suicide, according to the prosecutor in charge of the case in Argentina ... a law enforcement source in Buenos Aires tells TMZ.

We're told the prosecutor in the case has officially ruled Liam did not die by suicide, stating the effects of the drugs the One Direction alum took caused him to fall to his death from the balcony of his suite at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel back on October 16.

As we told you Thursday, 3 people have been arrested in the case -- a housekeeper at the hotel, a friend of Liam's, and an alleged drug dealer ... this after multiple raids conducted by local police.

Tekashi 6ix9ine may have to sit in jail for another month ... 'cause the federal government is recommending he serve 30 days for violating the terms of his supervised release.

According to new documents obtained by TMZ ... the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York says Tekashi will appear in court next week and admit to the violations the government has charged him with.

In terms of punishment, the U.S. Attorney will recommend he immediately head back to jail for 30 days. Once out, they will want Tekashi to begin another year of supervised release.