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Liam Payne Reportedly Had Pink Cocaine in His System at Time of Death
In the wake of the tragic death of Liam Payne, new reports indicate that one of the drugs found in the One Direction alum’s system was a substance called “pink cocaine.”
Payne, 31, suffered a fatal fall off the balcony of his Buenos Aires, Argentina, hotel on Oct. 16, and according to preliminary toxicology report, there were multiple drugs in his system at the time, The New York Times shared citing tests taken after an autopsy per an official with knowledge of the results.
Despite its name, pink cocaine does not typically include cocaine, but instead derives its name from its powder form that is dyed pink with food coloring.
In fact, pink cocaine is often a mixture of stimulants and depressants, typically including ketamine. The drug is frequently combined with Ecstasy, methamphetamine, opioids and psychoactive substances such as bath salts, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration and epidemiologists who spoke with The New York Times.
“This concoction is usually very cheap,” epidemiologist Dr. Linda Cottler told the Times in the wake of interest surrounding the drug related to Payne’s death, “which attracts people to use it.”
The National Capital Poison Center noted that the drug goes by alternative names including Tusi—a phonetic translation of “2C” due to the 2-CB psychedelic drug that can be found in pink cocaine’s mixture—as well as Tuci, Tusibi, and Tucibi.
Mike Marsland/WireImage; JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images
The drug is used for the user to “experience a sense of openness, sociability, and euphoria,” the Center noted, adding that it can lead to “physical and sexual assaults, as well as traumatic injuries.”
Payne—who alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan made up the hit-making British boyband One Direction—died of “internal and external hemorrhage,” according to a preliminary autopsy viewed by CNN.
In an Oct. 17 press release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office, investigators said they found substances inside Payne’s room that “at first glance—and pending confirmation from the experts—would be narcotics and alcoholic beverages.”
For more details surrounding Payne’s untimely death, read on.
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When did Liam Payne die?
Liam Payne died in Argentina on Oct. 16, 2024, el Sistema de Atención Médica de Emergencias (SAME) confirmed to Telemundo. He was 31 years old.
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How did Liam Payne die?
The singer suffered a fatal fall “from the balcony of the third-floor room of the hotel in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo where he was staying,” according to an Oct. 17 release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 translated from Spanish to English.
An autopsy was performed, the release continued, and determined Payne died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” as a result of the fall.
While the release said that, “as a matter of protocol, the circumstances of the case are being investigated as a ‘doubtful death,'”—meaning there was no conclusive information about the cause of death, per NBC News—it noted that “everything indicates the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and was going through some kind of outbreak due to substance abuse.”
Payne has spoken about his battle with sobriety in the past, sharing in a July 2023 YouTube video that he’d attended treatment for about 100 days and that he hadn’t had a drink in about six months.
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What else did Liam Payne’s autopsy say?
According to the release, coroners reported 25 injuries in Payne’s autopsy that were “compatible with those caused by a fall from height.”
“They also pointed out that the head injuries were sufficient to cause death,” the release continued, “while the internal and external hemorrhages in the skull, thorax, abdomen and limbs contributed to the mechanism of death.”
In addition, the release said forensic experts found “no defensive injuries” after examining the One Direction alum and that “no injuries were observed that would suggest the intervention of third parties.”
Still, questions remain—including about the state Payne may have been in at the time of his fall.
“The prosecution said that, given the position in which the body was left and the injuries from the fall,” the release added, “it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
As medical examiners seek more answers, the release noted, they’ve requested histopathological, biochemical and toxicological studies.
“At this point,” the release read, “the analysis of the stomach contents, alcohol and toxins in the blood, vitreous humor, bile, nasal swab and urine for the determination of alcohol and toxins was required.”
While a full toxicology report has yet to be released, a preliminary report revealed Payne had drugs in his system at his time of death, an official with direct knowledge told The New York Times.
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What have authorities shared about the events prior to Liam Payne’s fall?
Based on prosecutors’ reconstruction, the release said, it appears Payne fell from the balcony of his third-floor room at the CasaSur Palermo hotel at 5:07 p.m. local time. “Minutes earlier,” the release continued, the hotel called 911 “to ask for help for a guest who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and had destroyed some objects in the room.”
“When SAME and officers from the 14B Neighborhood Police Station of the City Police arrived,” the release added, “Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died on the spot due to the severity of his injuries.”
As for what authorities found upon searching the room, the release said police discovered substances that appear to be narcotics and alcoholic beverages—though, it was noted confirmation from experts is still needed. The document also stated that there were “several destroyed objects and furniture.”
Authorities are also looking into who had been in the room before Payne’s fall, with the release noting “five testimonial statements were taken from three hotel workers and two women who, in the hours prior, had been with the musician in his room, but had already left the hotel when the incident occurred.”
“The prosecution said that beyond reconstructing the circumstances of the musician’s death,” the release said, “the investigation is also aimed at determining the possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to the victim’s death.”
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What was said on the 911 call placed before Liam Payne’s death?
In audio of a 911 call obtained by Telemundo from local media in Argentina, a hotel employee can be heard asking authorities for assistance.
“We have a guest who is overindulged in drugs and alcohol,” the caller said, per NBC News’ translation. “Well, when he is conscious he breaks. He is breaking the whole room. Well, we need you to send someone, please.”
The employee then further expressed concern.
“We need someone to be sent to us urgently, because—well, I don’t know if he is at risk,” the individual added. “The guest is in a room that has a balcony and we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening.”
The employee did not name Payne on the call. NBC News reached out to Payne’s rep for comment but did not hear back.
(E!, NBC News and Telemundo are all part of the NBCUniversal family).
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
What had Liam Payne shared prior to his death?
Payne had been vacationing in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy and had documented their trip prior to his death.
Photos and videos shared to the “Strip That Down” artist’s Snapchat account showed the couple spending quality time together, eating breakfast, talking about his plans to ride horses and having what he described as a “lovely day” in Argentina days before his fatal fall, per screenshots by NBC News. The final photo shared to Payne’s Snapchat account on the day of his death was a photo of him and Cassidy in their swimsuits.
Payne and Cassidy had noted on social media that she was heading back to Florida to be with their dog Nala while he was staying in Argentina.
“I was so ready to leave,” Cassidy said in an Oct. 14 TikTok video that showed her traveling back to the U.S. “Honestly, love South America but I hate staying in one place for too long. And we were supposed to be there for, like, five days, turned into two weeks, and I was just like, ‘I need to go home.'”
After Payne’s death, Cassidy expressed how she was at a “complete loss” and how “nothing about the past few days have felt real.”
“Liam, my angel,” she wrote in part of an Oct. 18 Instagram post. “You are everything. I want you do know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”
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What has One Direction said about Liam Payne’s death?
After Payne’s death, his One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan expressed their heartache.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” the group wrote on Instagram in a joint message Oct. 17. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”
One Direction was formed on The X Factor in 2010, and achieved huge success before the band members parted ways in 2015.
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” Styles, Malik, Tomlinson and Horan continued. “For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
In addition to the group statement, the four singers released individual tributes.
“The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime,” Horan, who hosted a concert in Buenos Aires on Oct. 2 that Payne had attended, wrote in part of an Oct. 18 Instagram post. “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.”
Malik also announced on Oct. 19 that he’s postponing the U.S. leg of his tour “given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week.”
Several stars, family members and friends have also honored Payne (read their tributes here).
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When will fans get more answers to questions regarding Liam Payne’s death?
As for when the full toxicology results will be shared, a date has yet to be revealed.
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 said in an Oct. 22 release that its head Andrés Esteban Madrea informed Payne’s father, Geoff, that toxicological and histopathological studies relating to the “Teardrops” artist’s death have yet to be completed. These results—the release, translated from Spanish to English continued—are “necessary to decide on the release” Payne’s body.
Madrea also told Geoff that “prosecution is not aware to date of other studies or laboratory analyses,” the release added, “and has not released any type of specific technical report outside the exclusive framework of the investigation and the judicial process corresponding to this case.”
In terms of other efforts, the release noted “expert reports are being carried out on cell phones, computers, photographs and videos from security cameras that require a longer analysis time.”
“Numerous statements were also taken to reconstruct the victim’s final hours and the scene of the events,” the release stated, “a process that is still ongoing with hotel workers, acquaintances, technical and medical professionals, and other people linked to the victim through their work.”
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