Liam Payne's close pal shares star's final messages and says 'he seemed fine'

The singer's friend said there'd been "no reason for any kind of concern" when she last spoke to him

Liam Payne's close friend revealed she'd spoke to him just hours before his tragic death and he'd "seemed fine". Jodie Richards said the former One Direction star had messaged her to ask if she was awake, before revealing he was "having a chill".

The 41-year-old told Sky News they'd been pals for "many years" and she believed he'd just wanted to "touch base" with her while he was in Argentina. Following their exchange, she said: "He looked happy, he looked healthy - no reason for any kind of concern and then obviously I heard it on the news."

Jodie said she'd thought it was "fake news" and had tried to call the pop star but "obviously he wasn't answering". In an interview with the news channel, she said: "I tried to text him, it wasn't going to a 'read' message - normally it does quite quickly, then as I turned the telly on it was getting more and more apparent it wasn't fake."

READ MORE: Liam Payne was trying to 'prove' to Cheryl he had 'life back on track' when he died

The Wolverhampton-born singer passed away at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. The singer's preliminary autopsy findings revealed he died from "multiple traumas", which caused "internal and external bleeding".

As news broke of his death, US media and gossip site TMZ sparked fury by publishing photos of Liam's body. Jodie described the images as "sickening", adding: "As a friend, you don't want to see them, but especially, as you know, he has a child out there, he's got a mum and a dad who have had to see those images and they'll be circulated for years to come. And that's not how you want to remember Liam."

The father-of-one's death has also devastated his celebrity pals, including Scott Mills. The BBC Radio 2 star fought back tears as he said he'd "never forget" the time he spent with Liam and added: "Thank you for letting me be part of your ride."

Rita Ora also became emotional as she attempted to perform their song 'For You'. The pair had collaborated on the track in 2018, as part of the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack. But while performing the song in Osaka, Japan, Rita had to turn her back to the audience as she struggled to hold back her tears.