Liam Payne’s Preliminary Toxicology Report Confirms Drugs in His System at Time of Death

Authorities in Argentina have uncovered more details surrounding Liam Payne's untimely death.

Results from a preliminary toxicology screening showed that the One Direction alum had drugs in his system when he fatally fell from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires Oct. 16, an official with direct knowledge told the New York Times.

A police spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the toxicology report was handed over to local prosecutors for their investigation into Payne's death. Final results from the toxicology report are pending.

In an Oct. 17 press release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office, investigators said they found substances inside Payne's room that "at first glance—and pending confirmation from the experts—would be narcotics and alcoholic beverages."

As part of their investigation, authorities said they took statements from three hotel workers and two women who had been with Payne in his room hours before his death, but had already left the hotel when he died.

"Beyond reconstructing the circumstances of the musician's death," prosecutors said in their press release, "the investigation is also aimed at determining the possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to the victim's death."

Authorities said 25 of Payne's injuries coincided with those expected from a fall at a height, and that forensic experts found no defensive wounds or injuries "that would suggest the intervention of third parties."

"Given the position in which the body was left and the injuries from the fall," prosecutors said, "it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness."

Payne's official manner of death has not been publicly released.

In the past, the "What Makes You Beautiful" singer was open about his struggles with sobriety.

"I was all bloated out," he shared in a 2021 episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, recalling his appearance at the height of his addiction. "I call it my pills-and-booze face."

In 2023, Payne completed a 100-day stint at a Louisiana rehab center as part of his sobriety journey. In a video uploaded to his personal YouTube channel that July, Payne said, "I needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognize anymore."

"I feel like I have a grip on life now and everything that was getting away from me," he added at the time. "After I got back out, that process had worked for me, but there were still some little bits left that I kind of had to deal with myself."

For a look back at Payne's life in pictures, keep reading.

For free and confidential help for those facing mental and/or substance use disorders, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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