Police in Buenos Aires raided the hotel where Liam Payne was staying before his October 16 death in a fall from a balcony. According to the Associated PressA police special investigations unit descended on the Casa Sur Hotel on Wednesday night (October 23) at the behest of the prosecutor, reportedly seizing a number of items including computer hard drives and hotel CCTV footage.
Payne, 31, died after falling from a third-floor balcony, with an autopsy report revealing he died of multiple injuries, including internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. THE AP reported that an initial investigation suggested the late and solo One Direction star was alone before his death and had a “breakdown” after taking drugs. Police reportedly found a number of substances in his body at the time, including a recreational drug called “pink cocaine”, a mixture of substances often containing ketamine combined with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids and/or psychoactive substances. A handmade aluminum pipe was also found in his hotel room in Argentina, according to ABC News. Full autopsy details are not expected for several more weeks.
On October 16, streams and sales of both 1D and Payne's music increased in the US and worldwide following the singer's death. Official on-demand streams of 1D's five-album catalog in the US totaled 5.9 million, a vault of 174% from 2.1 million the previous day, according to Luminate. On October 17, they increased further to 22.2 million, a 278% increase from the previous day.
Additionally, worldwide, 1D pulled in 21.3 million streams on October 16, up 76% from 12.1 million on October 15. The group's catalog grew by 298% to 84.9 million streams on October 17.
In the week since Payne's death, fans have turned the site of his death into a makeshift shrine, placing candles, teddy bears, photos and other totems around the hotel entrance. Payne's father, Jeff Payne, is said to be currently in Buenos Aires helping to make arrangements for his son's body to be flown back to England, with officials expected to release it around October 28.
Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy was the latest member of the singer's inner circle to pay tribute to the beloved star in an Instagram post on Wednesday in which she called him “her best friend”. [and] the love of my life.” His romantic partner of two years Cassidy wrote: “None of this is real and I can't wrap my head around this new reality of not having you here. I'm struggling to figure out how to live in a world without you by my side. Together, we became children again, always finding joy in the smallest things.”
The influencer also noted that a few weeks before his death, Payne wrote her a note in which he confessed his hopes of marrying her within the next year. “Liam, I know we'll be together forever, but not in the way we planned. You will always be with me,” Cassidy said. “I have acquired a guardian angel. I will love you for the rest of my life and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with me wherever I go.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/liam-payne-death-investigation-hotel-died-raided-buenos-aires-police-1235811122/