Liam Payne dies at 31: What he shared about struggle with addiction and mental health

Liam Payne, a singer who rose to fame as a member of the band One Direction, died on Oct. 16 at age 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to his death, Payne had struggled with addiction, sharing that he was in rehab for 100 days in 2023.

Payne died after he fell from the third floor of a hotel around 5 p.m. local time. According to a press release from the Argentina National Prosecutor's Office about his autopsy report, authorities found what appeared to be alcohol and narcotic substances in his hotel room.

An analysis to determine whether there was alcohol or drugs in Payne’s stomach and blood at the time of his death has been requested, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Minutes before Payne's death, a hotel staff member had called "the 911 emergency line asking for help for a guest who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and who had destroyed some objects in the room," according to the release. The call did not mention Payne by name.

"He is in a room that has a balcony and we are a little afraid he will do something that puts his life at risk," the staff member said, according to audio obtained by Telemundo, part of NBCUniversal.

“Everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and that he was going through some kind of breakdown as a result of substance abuse," the prosecutor's office said.

Representatives for Payne have not responded to NBC News' request for comment. The musician's family released a statement about the loss, calling him "a kind, funny and brave soul."

Here's what we know about Payne's death and what he's shared about his history of addiction and his mental health.

How did Liam Payne die?

In a statement to Telemundo, the Sistema de Atencio Medica de Emergencia offered the following details on Payne's death on Oct. 16.

"British musician Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo," the statement read. "In the afternoon, police personnel from Precinct 14B were directed to the hotel by a 911 call reporting an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol."

The Security Ministry of Buenos Aires told the Associated Press that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.” When medics responded to the scene, they declared Payne dead, citing “extremely serious injuries.”

An autopsy report revealed Payne's cause of death

Per a press release from the Argentina National Prosecutor's Office, Payne died of "polytrauma and internal and external bleeding."

The release notes that "a series of substances were seized from the musician’s room, which would prove a previous situation of alcohol and drugs consumption."

After falling from the balcony, Payne experienced “multiple traumatic injuries” and “internal and external bleeding,” which led to his death. It appears Payne was alone when he fell, and "no injuries were observed that could suggest the intervention of third parties," the prosecutor's office said.

Per the prosecutor's office, the position Payne's body was found in indicated that he "did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness."

Liam Payne was in rehab last year

In July 2023, Payne filmed a YouTube video to give his fans an update on his health following a 100-day stint in rehab.

“I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore. And I’m sure you guys didn’t either,” he said.

During rehab, Payne didn't have access to a phone and he said the experience was refreshing.

“I was in bad shape up until that point, and I was really happy more than anything when I arrived to kind of put a stopper on life and work,” he said.

At the time he filmed the video, Payne said he had stopped drinking and had been sober for nearly six months.

“It’s good to be in this position,” he said. “I definitely don’t need those things anymore. The party’s over.”

Payne went on to say he had "more of a grip on life" and was focused on being a great father to his son, Bear, now 7.

“There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve nothing to teach,” he said. “I don’t think up until this point I really had much to say to him other than just caring for him deeply and loving him very deeply, which are obviously the most important things.”

He used alcohol to cope with fame of One Direction

While speaking to Men's Health Australia in 2019, Payne opened up about the lonely aspects of fame and said he began drinking to help process his feelings. He noted that the repetitive nature of touring was challenging on days where he wasn't feeling mentally well.

"It’s almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage, and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on. I mean it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic," he said.

While appearing on a 2021 episode of “The Diary of a CEO“ podcast, the singer also recalled the heavy drinking he would do while stuck in his hotel room during tours.

“When we were in the band, the best way to secure us because of how big it got was just lock us in our rooms. And of course, what’s in the room? Mini bar. So at a certain point, I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to have a party for one and that just seemed to carry on for many years in my life,” he said.

He tried therapy to improve his relationship with alcohol

He told USA Today in 2019 that he had gotten sober for a year and that therapy had helped him have a healthier relationship with alcohol.

“Luckily for me at those times (when I was drinking), I had the best people around me to make me realize different points in my life where I could be better,” he said. “And obviously, having kids completely changes the mindset around everything you do.”

“I’m still quite young, I’d like to think so at least, so I still have a lot of learning left to go. I’m still very much finding myself as a person," Payne added.

“As you get older, hangovers become a completely different thing. There’s that age-old saying, ‘I’ll just have one,’ but you never really know," he continued. "Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you do make a mistake or the night does go a little too far. ... As long as I can get my job done the next day at a capable level I’m happy with, I can just write that one off as a lesson and go, ‘I won’t do that again.’ I still like to go out and enjoy myself.”

Liam Payne struggled with anxiety

Fame created crippling anxiety for Payne, who told Esquire Middle East he was nervous to venture outside of his house at one point of his career.

Anxiety and substance use disorders frequently occur in the same people, research shows, though the link is not fully understood.

“I developed a bit of agoraphobia. I would never leave the house. And I do sometimes suffer with it a bit in the sense that I’ll get days where I just don’t want to leave my house, even if it’s just going to the shop,” he said.

“I don’t think I struggle in the sense of what you would naturally think of when I’m walking down the street with every person stopping me,” he continued. “I mean, it happens sometimes, but it’s mainly mentally where you struggle with it. It’s the getting ready and always knowing that you might be photographed.”

Simple tasks like filling his car up with gas and paying at the register created anxiety for the singer at one time.

“I can feel it now — it was like this horrible anxiety where I’d be sweating buckets in the car thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this,’” he said.

To manage his anxiety, Payne said he liked to go for an early morning run each day.

“I love it. I get myself outside and into the day and get past that fear of ‘what if this happens?’ or ‘what if that happens?’" he said.

Liam Payne struggled with suicidal thoughts

During a Sky News interview with Ant Middleton in 2019, Paine revealed that he had experienced suicidal thoughts at times during his career. Research shows that addiction can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

“For some certain circumstances — I’m quite lucky to be here still, which is something I’ve never really shared with anyone,” he said.

Payne spoke to his struggles with "loneliness" and "people getting into you every day."

"Every so often, you’re like, 'When will this end?' That’s almost nearly killed me a couple of times,” he said, adding that he'd considered killing himself.

Payne said he relied on friends to support him and looked inside to figure out why he was feeling the way he was.

“When things start to pile on top of each other, that’s when it can really get you. You’ve really got to change your view about it. There’s only one thing you control in that situation: it’s you," he said.

While appearing on a 2021 episode of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, Payne spoke about the suicidal thoughts he had while he was a member of One Direction.

“There is some stuff that I have definitely never, never spoken about. It was really, really, really severe. And it was a problem,” he said.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com