It has been one month since the death of British singer-songwriter Liam Payne. The former One Direction singer was found dead on the grounds of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, after a fall from the balcony of his hotel room on the third floor.
Though officials assumed it was a suicide at first, toxicology tests found hallucinogenic drugs in Payne's system. The report also stated that Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine and antidepressants. This led the investigator to rule the death as “accidental”, since he did not have clear awareness of his surroundings.
“The lack of defence or self-preservation reflex in the fall, together with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall,” the prosecutors said in a statement.
Three charged in connnection with Payne's death
The Argentine police collected several testimonies and analysed 800 hours of security camera and video footage.
Last week, the police arrested three individuals in connection with the singer's death. One of the three accused visited Payne regularly during his stay at the hotel. He was seen leaving the room of the singer two hours before his death and is charged with 'abandonment of a person followed by death'.
The second person is a hotel employee who “must answer for two proven supplies of cocaine”, according to the prosecutor. The third person is also charged with the supply of narcotics a few days before Payne's death.
Liam Payne's funeral
Though it has been a month since the singer's death, his funeral has not been conducted yet. Payne's body was released by the Argentinian authorities three weeks after his death, and was brought back to the UK by his father Geoff Payne on November 6.
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According to reports, the funeral will be held in Wolverhampton, England, where Payne grew up, and will likely be a private ceremony, attended by only close family and friends.
Payne's former bandmate, Zayn Malik, announced that he would be pushing his tour dates from November 20 and 21 to December 8 and 9. This led fans to believe that Payne's funeral will be conducted within the week.
In the wake of Payne's passing, fans have started a petition called “Liam's Law”, which advocates for better mental health care and support for people working in the entertainment industry. Over 1,38,000 people have signed the petition.