One Direction's Niall Horan shares heartbreaking details of final night with Liam Payne
Niall Horan has shared the heartbreaking details of the last time he saw Liam Payne,. telling fans that he never expected the goodbye hug he gave his former One Direction bandmate to be the last one ever.
It was around 10.30pm UK timed on Wednesday that news broke of Liam's death, after the 31-year-old fell from a hotel room at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After hotel staff made a frantic call to emergency services, expressing serious concerns for a guest, as they pleaded for someone to be sent out urgently, Liam's body was found on an internal patio, with the singer declared dead at the scene.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said Liam suffered injuries that were incompatible with life" and, as result, "there was no possibility of resuscitation." The chief added that, according to the emergency medical team sent to the scene Liam had a fracture in the base of his skull, extremely serious injuries.
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On Thursday, the results of a preliminary autopsy revealed that Liam died from multiple traumas" that caused "internal and external bleeding," consistent with the 10 metres fall he suffered.
Liam's death is still being investigated, with Sky News reporting that that the prosecutors' office in Buenos Aires said that everything indicates the singer was 'alone' at the time of the fall, with the autopsy also suggesting that he could have been "semi conscious or completely unconscious when falling" and that Liam had 'significant head injuries' which firmly pointed to there being 'no involvement of a third party'
Late on Thursday night, One Direction posted a joint tribute to Liam, with X Factor's most successful act saying there were 'devastated' by his death and, on Friday, Niall posted an individual statement, having been the last 1D member to see Liam.
The Nice To Meet Ya singer wrote: "I'm absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn't feel real. Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure."
Niall continued: "All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever."
And then, talking about his final night with Liam, the Irish star added: "The bond and friendship we had doesn't happen often in a lifetime. I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn't know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It's heartbreaking.
"My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Bear. That you for everything, Payno. Love you brother. Nialler."