A witness recounts how he saw One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, jump to his death and how it still haunts him to this day. Bret Watson opens up about the traumatic experience, admitting that the scene will forever remain “burned into his brain.”
Payne passed away on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony at Hotel CasaSur in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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TW: This article contains depictions or discussions of suicide and drug abuse and may be triggering to some readers.
Payne’s cause of death
Officials have ruled Payne’s death as suicide due to him being heavily intoxicated when he fell. The medical report stated that Payne had traces of “alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants” in his system.
He was in a state where “he did not know what he was doing and could not understand it.”
Mr. Watson’s account of what happened
Mr. Watson recounted the horrific incident to TMZ, saying: “We [him and the planner] saw Liam fall… and so we immediately rushed out on the balcony to see what it was and when we looked down we could see that it was Liam laying on the ground.”
They saw him intoxicated
Mr. Watson stated that he and the other wedding guests had seen Payne getting more and more intoxicated throughout the day.
Mr. Watson believes that Payne died instantaneously right after the tragic fall from the third-floor balcony at the hotel.
TMZ Presents: Liam Payne: Who’s to Blame?
Mr. Watson’s take was shared on TMZ Presents: Liam Payne: Who’s to Blame? which aired on Sunday in the US, almost a month after Payne’s funeral.
The documentary, however, faced a lot of backlash as Payne’s fans deemed it “invasive” to the late superstar’s privacy.
The fans’ reaction to the documentary
Payne’s fans on X were beyond furious about the documentary, with one of them saying: “Some of these topics are so invasive. just let him rest.” Another added: “I can imagine how mad, disappointed, furious and angry Liam Payne’s family and his former bandmates feel.”
Why Liam was in Argentina
The reason behind Payne’s stay in Argentina was that he was trying to renew his US visa as he wanted to relocate to Florida with his American influencer girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
His application was refused due to his drug abuse, which made him extend his stay in Argentina.
The days before his death
A few days before his death, Cassidy left the late singer and returned to the US.
Additionally, in the moments before his death, witnesses recounted that Payne had been “behaving erratically,” having smashed his laptop and taken drugs.
The police investigate
The police have five suspects on their list and are set to learn if they will be prosecuted shortly. One of the suspects is Argentinian businessman and Payne’s “very good friend” Roger Nores, alongside waiter Barian Paiz and hotel worker Ezequiel Pereyra.
The suspects’ involvement in Payne’s death
The suspects are accused of providing drugs for payment, and on top of that, Nores is charged with abandoning Payne before he died. Nores claimed that Payne was “playful, happy and fine” when he left him an hour before his death.
The eyewitnesses beg to differ
The eyewitnesses testified that Payne wasn’t “coherent” and seemed to be under the influence. Furthermore, prosecutors have obtained a text sent by the late singer to Nores asking him for drugs. The message read: “Can you get 6 grams?”
