One of the last people to see Liam Payne alive reveals his ‘disturbing’ behaviour in final hours before his tragic death
ONE of the final people to see Liam Payne alive has revealed how the star displayed “disturbing” behaviour shortly before he died.
The woman also told of a shocking admission the former One Direction star made minutes before he fell to his death from a hotel balcony.
She said Liam told her: “I used to be in a boy band – that’s why I’m so f**ked up.”
Rebecca, not her real name, was also staying at the CasaSur Hotel in Argentina when Liam, 31, fell to his death on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old said she has been left “shaken” by what happened, having seen Liam just moments before he died.
She told the Mail how “there was something a bit desperate” about Liam’s behaviour.
Rebecca encountered Liam in the foyer of the hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday afternoon and took photos of him at 4.26pm local time (8.26pm UK time).
Police were called to the hotel at 5.04pm after Liam fell, and after an ambulance arrived at 5.11pm he was declared dead.
Rebecca, from Washington DC, said staff at the hotel were “a little on edge” because Liam hadn’t checked out of his suite as he was due to that morning.
She said when she entered the lobby area, Liam was waiting by the lift and “wanted someone to recognise him”.
Rebecca added: “When the lift came he suddenly said to us without any prompting: ‘Yes, I’m Liam!’ really drawing it out, and then said ‘All right come on you lot, get in the elevator with me, I love a cuddle’.
“I decided against it and waited for the next one, but some of the other girls got in with him and half way up, he started saying ‘Oh, you’re Americans, I live in West Palm Beach.
“I know Americans. You guys are f***ing crazy! You guys are f***ing dangerous!
“And then he grabs a girl who I think was with him and starts fake choking her, only lightly, but the others thought it was really disturbing.”
It comes as…
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Rebecca said when she returned to the foyer around ten minutes later, Liam came back to the area and laid on the sofa with his laptop.
She claims he became “upset” by an email on his screen and shouted “f**k this s**t mate” before smashing the laptop on the ground.
Rebecca added: “Everyone, especially the staff was really shocked. It’s a high-end hotel and his behaviour was so out of place – people were just chilling.
“I went over, asked ‘are you OK?’ But he just kind of grunted. Then he said ‘I used to be in a boyband. That’s why I’m so f**ked up.”
Rebecca said hotel staff were “freaking out and watching him really nervously”.
She also claims someone “from his entourage” apologised on Liam’s behalf and said: “I’m sorry, he just gets so high sometimes.”
Moments later, Rebecca said Liam again returned to the lobby and “just tripped and fell flat on his face”.
She said staff then helped him back in the lift.
Brett Watson, another guest at the hotel, said he and others saw Liam “causing a disturbance” minutes before he died.
Watson, from Chicago, told ITV Liam appeared to “pass out” in the lobby before he “had to be physically taken back up to his room”.
A 911 call from hotel staff on Wednesday revealed they needed “urgent assistance” from cops to help with a guest “behaving erratically”.
Recordings from the 911 calls made by the head of reception show them reporting “a guest who is destroying everything in his room”.
In a second appeal for help the receptionist said: “We need you to send someone urgently because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger.
“They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk.”
Liam – who was in Buenos Aires for a holiday after going to see pal Niall Horan’s tour – was found dead in the hotel’s inner courtyard at after 5pm local time (9pm UK time).
His death was confirmed as soon as ambulance crews arrived.
Cops discovered “what appeared to be narcotics, alcohol, destroyed objects and furniture” in his room at the Hotel CasaSur in Palermo.
Photos published by Argentine media showed white powder, burnt aluminium foil and a smashed TV screen inside his suite.
Forensic teams reported that a whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone were retrieved from the building’s internal courtyard where Liam’s body was found.
But cops are yet to confirm what the substances found in the room are and are due to run tests on them shortly.
The singer had been open about his battles with addiction in the past.
Officials have said “everything indicates” that he was alone when he died and could have been partly or fully unconscious when he fell.
A full toxicology report is still pending and could take weeks to become public.
One Direction statements in full
We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. 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.
The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. 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. – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.
Louis Tomlinson wrote: “His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on.
“Thank you for shaping us Liam.
“I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.
“I wish I got a chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.”
Zayn Malik said: “Liam I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.
“I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.
“When I was missing home as a 17-year-old kid, you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved.”
He added: “When it came to the music, Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense.
“I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional.
“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly.
“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever”.
And Harry Styles wrote: “I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing.
“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.
“He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving.
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.
“My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”