Revealed: 911 call made by hotel manager before Liam Payne was found dead
by Asher McShane · LBCLiam Payne's ex-fiancée breaks silence after former One Direction star falls to his death aged 31
By Asher McShane
Details are still emerging surrounding the death of One Direction star Liam Payne who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
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Emergency responders received a phone call from the manager of the Buenos Aires hotel where the star was staying.
The head of reception at Hotel Casa Sur is reported to have told an operator: “We need someone to come.
“I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something.”
Seconds later the employee, who gave his name as Esteban, said: “Send an ambulance, only an ambulance.”
The calls to emergency services were leaked to local media last night.
In the call, an employee said: “ We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk.”
Witnesses at the hotel reported Liam smashed his laptop and he had even had to be carried back to his room, according to TMZ.
Liam Payne seen in final Snapchat video
Police found Liam dead in the hotel's inner courtyard at around 5pm local time (9pm UK time) when they arrived.
A spokesman for the local ambulance service said Liam's death had been confirmed on the spot after he had fallen and suffered severe injuries.
Alberto Crescenti said: "The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.
“At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.
"There was no possibility of resuscitating him."
The 911 call
911: “You told me Costa Rica. Sorry but what number, sir?”
Hotel employee: “Costa Rica, 6032”
911: “That is Buenos Aires capital, between Arevalo and Kramer, right?”
Hotel manager: “Yes.”
911: “Hotel, you said? What’s the hotel called?”
Hotel employee: “CasaSur Palermo. And we need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk.”
911: “How long has he been there? Or is it a residential hotel?”
Hotel employee: “No, no. He’s been here two or three days.”
911: “Understood. And you wouldn’t know any other information because you can’t get into the room, no?”
Hotel employee: “No.”
911: “We’ll notify the SAME medical response service, okay?”
Hotel employee: “Yes, what I ask you is that you send someone urgently because, well…”
911: “Any other information you can give me. Who are you, the manager?”
Hotel employee: “I am the head of reception.”
911: “You’d be in charge at the moment, right?”
Hotel employee: “Yes.”
911: “What’s your name, sir?”
Hotel employee: “Esteban.”
911: “Okay, this has been notified. Thank you for letting us know. You can hang up now.”
Hotel manager: “Are you sending the police as well or not?”
911: “The police for the area you’re in? Give me a second. Area 14.”
Hotel manager: “No, just send the SAME medical response service.”
Local police said the 31-year-old singer fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina's capital, before medics confirmed his death.
Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving.
Fans were photographed lighting candles and leaving flowers at the side of the road in an impromptu vigil as they paid tribute to the music star.
The Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with authorities in Argentina "regarding reports of the death of a British man".
But a spokesman declined to comment any further, including on the identity of the man involved.
Payne's death comes after it was widely reported that his ex-fiancee, Maya Henry, had started legal proceedings, allegedly issuing a cease and desist letter for repeated contact.
The US model, who was engaged to Payne from August 2020 until he announced their separation in June 2021, claimed in a recent TikTok video that, since their break-up, the singer would "blow up my phone" from different numbers.
In the hours before his death, Payne reportedly posted a video on Snapchat saying: "It's a lovely day here in Argentina."
Payne formed boy band One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor.
After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Among those paying tribute to Payne was former X Factor host Dermot O'Leary, who wrote on Instagram: "I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing.
"He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble."
Olly Murs, who appeared on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said in a post on Instagram that he was "lost for words", adding that the pair shared "the same passions".
The Wanted star Max George said Payne had "supported me a lot" after the death of his bandmate Tom Parker from a brain tumour in March 2022.
Payne previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, describing hitting "rock bottom" to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett.
He admitted his addiction to alcohol continued during the Covid pandemic, but in 2023 he posted a YouTube video confirming he was almost six months sober after nearly 100 days in a US rehab facility.
Earlier this month, Payne attended bandmate Horan's Argentinian concert alongside his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid, Familiar and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.
The song was one of two tracks that reached the top 10 in the UK official charts, alongside For You with Rita Ora from the film Fifty Shades Freed - which the duo performed at the Brit Awards in 2018.
Payne was in a high-profile relationship with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl between 2016 and 2018 and the couple had a son, Bear, in 2017.
Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Simon Cowell telling him to return to the ITV talent show two years later.
In 2010, he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble's Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition - the group which later became One Direction.
In 2012, the boy band won their first Brit Award for best British single for their debut track What Makes You Beautiful, before picking up the Brit global success award a year later.
In 2014 and 2015 they also won best British video for Best Song Ever and You & I respectively.
After Malik left the band, the quartet won best artist video for Drag Me Down in 2016. They picked up the same award a year later for History.
In August 2023, Payne postponed his scheduled tour of South America after suffering a "serious kidney infection".
He said the infection was something "I wouldn't wish on anyone" and he had been instructed by doctors to "rest and recover".
In October that year, he was banned from driving in the UK after admitting a speeding offence.
The singer was reportedly travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone and was banned from driving for six months, as well as paying a fine.
In August this year, Payne was announced as a judge on a new Netflix show alongside former Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.
The stars were to judge attempts to create a band, looking at the contestants' chemistry as they formed groupings in the musical competition series.