Liam Payne's pal learns about star's death just before live TV interview

Ant Middleton described Liam as his "younger brother" in an interview following his tragic death.

One of Liam Payne's closest pals was halfway through filming when he learned about the star's tragic death.

It was confirmed yesterday, Wednesday, October 16, that the One Direction star, 31, fell to his death from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires. Reports say a preliminary autopsy shows the singer's death was caused by 'multiple trauma' and attributed to 'internal and external bleeding'.

The shocking incident happened after staff at the luxury accommodation expressed fears for the star's wellbeing when they saw him 'acting erratically'. Cops were later called due to a man, who could have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, behaving aggressively at the hotel. Local news outlets have since released images of what is believed to be Liam's deluxe hotel room, where traces of a white powder and burnt foil can be seen, as well as a smashed TV, reports the Mirror.

Ant Middleton, who featured alongside Liam in the 2019 documentary Straight Talking, appeared on Australia's Channel 7 morning and paid tribute to his friend just moments after finding out about the tragedy. "I speak to Liam quite often, he's a good friend of mine. And, wow, I'm shocked. This is obviously the first I'm hearing of it," the 44-year-old said on air.

"I don't really know what to say about that. I'm going to have to make sure that I reach out to the relevant people to find out what's happened to my good friend. But I'm away filming at the moment as you can see, that's why I'm wet and there's a bit of noise around me. But yeah, my condolences and I hope they find out what's gone on."

Ant went on to describe Liam as a 'younger brother' and said the celeb would often 'confide' in him. "There were some issues there, but nothing that a young celebrity at his caliber wouldn't suffer from," he added. "So I'm just shocked at the moment really, wow. Yeah. [I] don't really know what to say."

The author and podcaster later posted a series of pictures of him and Liam on his Instagram, including screen grabs from the pair's documentary. "That was some sunset you captured there mate!" he captioned the post.

"A talented positive man with a good heart. I'm glad our friendship flourished and that I was someone you could confine in. Your turn to look over me now bro! Luv ya and will miss you sorely… My sincere condolences to Liam Payne's family during these unimaginable times."

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is available. Find the nearest mental health services near you or get urgent help here.

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