The former One Direction singer had been staying at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
During his time in the country, he attended a concert of former 1D bandmate, Niall Horan, along with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. The couple seemed in good spirits as Payne shared footage of them dancing at the concern on his social media pages, and later shared selfies with Horan.
Sadly, two days after Cassidy left the country, the heartbreaking news broke that Payne had died following a fall from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room.
Despite authorities attending to the singer promptly, Payne’s injuries were so severe that first responders stated that there had been “no possibility of resuscitation”.
The singer’s father, Geoff, has since traveled to the city for the recognition of the body and to arrange its repatriation.
The results of Payne’s preliminary autopsy were released on Thursday, detailing that the singer suffered severe injuries that led to “internal and external hemorrhaging” from the fall, according to a post-mortem carried out by two forensic pathologists in Buenos Aires.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the Buenos Aires emergency services, previously revealed Payne had a “cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death”.
With tributes pouring in for the singer, authorities in Argentina have released more details regarding Payne’s tragic death.
In a statement to AP, authorities confirmed that medics confirmed Payne’s death at the scene, adding that he had suffered “extremely serious injuries”.
Forensic experts later concluded that “the 25 injuries described in the autopsy are compatible with those caused by a fall from a height”.
Additionally, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has said in a statement: “The head injuries were sufficient to cause death, while the internal and external hemorrhages in the skull, chest, abdomen and limbs contributed to the mechanism of death.”
It adds that police were already arriving at the hotels following emergency calls just after 5:00PM from a hotel manager expressing concerns about the safety of an unnamed male guest.
In the official statement, police authorities state that the 31-year-old had “jumped from the balcony of his room”, with forensic experts detailing that Payne had no “defensive type” injuries and that his wounds were “vital and produced at the same time as each other”.
The Buenos Aires police also said in its statement that the singer’s hotel room was “in complete disarray”.
According to Argentinian outlet La Nacion, per AP, authorities are ruling out “the intervention of third parties”. That being said, Argentine prosecutors said on Thursday that they are investigating the events leading up to the singer’s death, which they described as “suspicious” – citing potential drug and alcohol use.
Per The Mirror, the singer’s body is expected to remain in Argentina for a further 10 to 15 days, until the results of toxicological tests are known. The outlet adds that Payne’s medical history may be requested to analyze his mental health history.
As authorities await the results, the singer’s tragic death is currently deemed “inconclusive” by Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
Following Payne’s death, each of his One Direction bandmates have shared a heartfelt tribute to the singer – they can all be read in full, here.
Our thoughts continue to go out the Payne’s family, friends, and fans at this time.
