Ahead of Payne’s death, CasaSur Hotel officials called authorities and asked them to send emergency help for a guest they said was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. “We need to send someone with urgency because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger, as he is in a room with a balcony, and we are afraid he could do something that threatens life,” the worker told the emergency service, per the aforementioned outlet.
When authorities arrived only a few minutes later, they found Payne’s body in the inner courtyard of the hotel, where he was pronounced dead at the scene, Alberto Crescenti, the director of SAME, Buenos Aires Emergency Medical Service, told ABC News previously.
A preliminary autopsy report from the Argentinian Public Prosecutor’s Office found that Payne died of “multiple traumas” and internal and external bleeding. Twenty-five injuries were reported on the Teardrops singer’s body, including head injuries that were sufficient to cause death.
The Buenos Aires Security Ministry previously informed that “multiple substances and broken objects” were found in Payne’s hotel room. A hotel employee suspected of supplying drugs to him on the day he died has been interviewed by officials but has not been arrested, and no charges have been filed against them at this time, per ABC.
In the wake of his untimely demise, the singer is being remembered by his peers as someone who always provided his support in darker times in their lives. Millions of fans across the globe are mourning him by holding candlelit vigils and more.
Payne is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne; his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola; and his seven-year-old son, Bear Grey, whom he shared with former partner Cheryl Cole.
If you know someone who is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, please reach out to the authorities and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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