Five heartbreaking signs of Liam Payne's inner torment in final days

One Direction star Liam Payne was hit with some difficult blows in the weeks before his sad death, with those close to him raising the alarm before tragedy struck

Liam Payne suffered several setbacks in the weeks leading up to his tragic death.

The former One Direction singer devastatingly died last month after plunging from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina. He was just 31-years-old. Today, Liam's loved ones will be celebrating his life at a private funeral ceremony.

The star was hit with several difficult blows in recent times, with his own publicist having resigned weeks before his death, leaving him without any guidance in a turbulent time. It coincided with actions taken by his ex-fiancé Maya Henry, who began legal proceedings against Liam after she accused him of repeatedly contacting her.

A source claimed Liam's eight-year-long music career may have felt like it was "crumbling" at the end, and it "must have absolutely devastated him".

Record label blow

Liam suffered a heartbreaking setback to his music career just days before his death, when the solo singer was reportedly dropped by his record label, Universal Music. According to the Daily Mail, Liam was axed by the record label in the days preceding his death, with a source telling the publication: "Liam's advance was massive and he didn't recoup [it]. Out of all of the One Direction boys, Liam was on the wrong path musically."

He had been working on his second album, however it is believed that the release was put on hold prior to Universal dropping him. Following his death, The Universal Music Group shared a tribute on social media, which read: "We are devastated by the tragic passing of Liam Payne. His legacy will live on through his music and the countless fans he inspired and who adored him. We send our deepest condolences to Liam's family and loved ones."

Girlfriend's ultimatum

Liam was in Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, before she left the country to fly home on October 12. Kate said on TikTok: "I was so ready to leave. Love South America, but I hate staying in one place for too long and we were supposed to be there for five days, turned into two weeks and I was just like, 'I need to go home'."

Weeks after his death, it was alleged that Kate gave him an ultimatum before she left - stop taking drugs or lose her. Speaking to the New York Post, the source, who is allegedly a friend, said: "His drug use was causing a lot of drama. So she gave him an ultimatum: her or the drugs. He chose the drugs, so she had no choice but to remove herself from the situation. She thought she was doing tough love."

Haunting videos with fans

Fans of Liam shared haunting videos of his final days and hours and he greeted them during his Argentina trip. One TikTok video shows the star meeting well-wishers outside his hotel, and he appears unsteady on his feet as he tells them, "That was a really big squeeze". In another, he poses for a photo before he furrows his brow and looks down.

A separate clip shows Liam signing an autograph for a woman and asking the crowd for a 'pen' because he doesn't have one. When they reply 'lapicera' in Spanish, he jokes: "I feel like you're trying to make me say something rude." But away from the laughter, there are concerns Liam wasn't in a good headspace and was spiralling out of control.

Final struggles

A woman, only known as Rebecca, who had a half-hour chat with Liam in the hotel lobby described him as "desperate" to be recognised. She claimed he announced himself, unprompted, shouting "I'm Liam", to a queue of guests waiting for the lift. She said that Liam returned to the lobby with his laptop.

Surmising that he'd spotted an email that "upset" him, Rebecca said: "Suddenly he took the computer, shouted 'f**k this s**t mate!' and started bashing the computer on the ground." The singer's "out of place" behaviour "shocked" onlookers in the "high-end" hotel, but concerned, Rebecca said she asked him if he was OK.

She explained: "But he just kind of grunted. Then he said 'I used to be in a boyband. That's why I'm so f**ked up'." Shocked at his admission, she saw him get back in the lift, before a "British guy" apologised to the group on "his behalf". She added that he fell over when he returned to the lobby, with staff helping him in to the lift.

Substance issues

Liam had reportedly been clean from drugs in his final months, but seemingly fell back into taking narcotics and alcohol shortly before his death. The initial toxicology report found traces of "alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants" in Liam's system.

A search of Liam's hotel room also uncovered "what appeared to be narcotics, alcohol, destroyed objects and furniture", according to detectives. Photos purporting to show inside the room where Liam spent his final hours were confirmed by news outlets La Nacion and Clarin.

Before the catastrophe struck, staff at Hotel Casa Sur had desperately reached out to emergency services. The reception head underscored the urgency during one such plea: "We have a guest who's off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come."

"I don't know if the guest's life is in danger," he said, "The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something. Just send an ambulance, only an ambulance." The police arrived just before 5pm, but reported hearing a loud bang from the courtyard as they arrived.

In a bid to understand how he fell, investigators have since worked 'meticulously' to rule out suicide, according to a lengthy statement released this month. Prosecutors believe Liam did not take his own life and have linked the tragedy to a substance-induced 'psychotic episode'.