A new controversial documentary from TMZ delves into the life and death of One Direction star Liam Payne, who tragically passed away in October after falling from a hotel balcony
A new documentary examining the death of Liam Payne has made a number of shocking revelations.
TMZ Presents: Liam Payne: Who’s to Blame? was described as “invasive” by shocked fans as it premiered on Monday, with many feeling it was airing too soon given an investigation into the One Direction singer’s tragic death is still ongoing.
Liam, 31, died after falling from the third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16. A report from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office determined that traces of “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” were found in Liam’s system.
Officials also ruled out suicide, explaining that “in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing and could not understand it”. Five people have been placed under formal investigation regarding Liam’s death. Shockingly, some of those people of interest make an appearance in the controversial TMZ documentary.
Suspect interviews
Despite being one of the five individuals under the scrutiny of the Argentinian authorities for potentially abandoning Liam, Roger Nores speaks on camera in the TMZ feature about his final hours with Liam. The Argentinian businessman Roger controversially stated that Liam was “in good spirits” and “perfectly balanced” on that day, disputing widespread speculation implied by previous accounts.
Contrary to Roger’s claims, there have been reports painting a picture of Liam as intoxicated and disruptive shortly before his untimely death, with an incident reportedly escalating to the point where a hotel worker felt compelled to summon emergency services prior to the star’s fall.
Image:
Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In the documentary, Roger refuted the negative portrayal of the singer, saying, “I’m a very good friend of Liam, and I was with him the day that he passed away. He was 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.”
Roger also rejected the claims that he abandoned his late friend, asserting: “I went to a hotel three times to check on him. During that morning, he seemed tipsy, but nothing out of the ordinary.” In Argentina, prosecutors have charged one of the people who was with Liam, accusing them of “abandonment of a person followed by death” – an offence that could lead to a maximum of 15 years behind bars.
Witness horror
The TMZ features also features a hotel guest, Bret Watson, who witnessed Liam’s fatal fall and is now “haunted” by the scene. Bret recounted the harrowing moment: “We happened to be looking out of the window of our hotel at the pool area to show her [the planner] the view from the hotel. We 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.”
Bret believes the One Direction star died instantly. In a candid moment during the documentary, he recalled: “The wedding planner and I looked at each other like ‘oh my God, this is real, this actually happened’.” He went on to describe the incident as “heartbreaking” and “haunting”, confessing that it’s an event he’ll never be able to shake off.
An aerial view of the poolside area of the hotel where the late singer died (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
Waiter admission
Waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz, confesses to partaking in drugs with singer Liam before his fatal fall but denies selling them. The 24-year-old is one of the five people under investigation by the Argentinian authorities but still appears in the controversial TMZ documentary.
After having met Liam in the eatery where he was employed, Braian claims they spent subsequent evenings indulging in cocaine and whiskey, as per reports emerging today. Arrested under allegations of dealing and promoting drug use, Braian firmly rejects any connection with Liam’s death.
Braian confessed to TMZ about consuming cocaine with Liam but refuted receiving any financial recompense for narcotics, including a Rolex watch. “They say I’m the dealer, that I carry drugs, that I sold them and the truth is that no, no I didn’t sell them.”, he stated on camera.
On being queried whether he ingested drugs with Liam during their initial encounter, Braian confirmed, “Yeah, there was. There was cocaine – there wasn’t even a lot of it but we had some with whiskey… The second night too. The soap box and some aluminum foil was already there – drugs scattered everywhere.” Braian claims he even turned down the One Direction celeb’s offer of his Rolex watch. He shared: “I didn’t accept it. I didn’t accept anything just a drawing that he drew which were part of my eyes, nose mouth.”
