A new documentary examining the death of Liam Payne is due to air on Monday (
Image: Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal)

Liam Payne’s businessman friend Roger Nores says he was “with him the day that he passed away” and has shared his memories up to an hour before his tragic passing in a new documentary

Liam Payne’s friend Roger Nores has made the bombshell claim that the One Direction star was “happy” and “perfectly balanced” an hour before his tragic death.

The chart-topping star fell to his death at the age of 31 from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October, and is widely reported to have been in a frenzied state. Businessman Roger, who is himself from Argentina, formed a friendship with Liam in 2020 after they met at an event hosted by Vogue in London – and he was with the star on the day he died.

It has previously been reported that Roger was with the singer soon before his fateful fall – and now Roger has claimed Liam was in “good spirits” the last time he saw him. Roger previously faced accusations of “abandonment” following Liam’s death – an accusation he has denied – and he has not been charged with abandonment.

While reports have suggested Liam was drunk and disorderly soon before he fell from his hotel balcony – and one hotel employee called emergency services before the star’s death – Roger has suggested this is an incorrect depiction of the singer. Sharing his version of events, he claims Liam was happily engaging with other hotel guests soon before his death.

Roger Nores has shared his memories of the day the One Direction star died ( 
Image:
Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In a new TMZ documentary, Roger says: “I’m a very good friend of Liam, and I was with him the day that he passed away. He was in in good spirits. He was like talking to 10 or 15 Americans that were here for a wedding. And so he was talking to them, and he was joking around.”

Revealing when he last saw the star, he claims: “I left like at 4:05, or so, and he was in good spirits. He was perfectly balanced, like talking to everybody, having fun, laughing, so nothing out of the ordinary and that’s when I said, ‘Okay, bye’.”

TMZ’s Harvey Levin then asks the businessman: “So you left him about an hour before he fell off that balcony. And you say, he seemed fine?” To which Roger states: “Yeah, well, he seemed he seemed playful and happy.”

He also claims he did not abandon his late friend, telling the documentary cameras: “I went to a hotel three times to check on him. During that morning, he seemed tipsy, but nothing out of the ordinary.” The Mirror has contacted Liam’s representative for comment. The full documentary, titled TMZ Investigates: Liam Payne: Who’s to Blame?, is due to air in the USA on Monday night at 8 PM ET on FOX.

The music world was devastated when news broke that Liam had died on 16 October. His devastated family shares a heartbreaking statement which read: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time”