Fans were devastated when Liam Payne died on October 16, 2024, at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. With his passing came speculation, discourse, and finger-pointing at people like the hotel staff, drug dealers, and the man responsible for One Direction - Simon Cowell.
Over a year after Liam's passing, Cowell addressed the criticism he received, and the idea that he's responsible for Payne’s 2024 death because he pushed the band too hard and didn’t support them enough at the height of their fame.
“I don’t read any of this stuff because if I did, you would just torture yourself,” Cowell said. “The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that.”
While some fans are pointing fingers, people who were actually inside the whirlwind have said something different. Louis Tomlinson, Payne’s former bandmate, has always been adamant that the adults around them, Cowell included, weren’t abandoning them.
In October, he told The Independent: “Look, in any situation similar to this, hindsight is a really powerful thing. I don't blame anyone for my experience in One Direction. Was it really hard work? Yes. Did we not have enough days off? Yes.”
Cowell told Rolling Stone his death came a year after the last time they saw each other. During that meeting, the two talked about fatherhood - Payne’s son, Bear, is now 8, and Cowell’s son Eric is 11. After years of nonstop career pressure, Cowell said he remembered telling him, "Music is not everything. Don’t let it run your life anymore. Find something else that you are passionate about."
Still, the America's Got Talent host admitted that even he gets it in his head sometimes. “You ask yourself that question: ‘Could I have done anything more? What would’ve happened to Liam if he hadn’t been in the band?” “I wish I could turn back the clock, of course. When I spoke to him that day, I felt really good about him,” Cowell said. “I thought, ‘Wow, you seem in a really good place," he added.
Cowell also spoke to Liam’s parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, who echoed something that cuts right through the noise - Liam was proud of what he accomplished. He wasn’t someone who wanted to erase his past or resent his success.
Latest updates in Liam’s death investigation
Following Liam's death, a toxicology report revealed the presence of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant when he died.
Initially, five people were charged in connection with his death, including his assistant and manager, Rogelio Nores, and two hotel staff members, manager Gilda Agustina Martín and reception chief Esteban Reynaldo Grassi.
Nores had checked Payne into the hotel and, according to court documents, was aware of the singer’s intoxication and vulnerability but failed to seek medical assistance. Martín and Grassi were accused of negligence for not supervising Payne or ensuring he received medical care when he became agitated, unsteady, and reportedly broke furniture in the hotel lobby.
Staff carried him back to his room but did not summon medical help. Prosecutors argued that Nores, as Payne’s assistant and manager, had a responsibility to contact family or medical services but failed to do so. His dad confirmed that Liam had stopped using his personal phone to avoid relapse and relied on Nores for communication.
However, in February 2025, the charges against Nores and the hotel staff were dismissed after the court ruled that investigators had demonstrated “manifest arbitrariness” and failed to carry out essential forensic and testimonial procedures.
Only two defendants remain in pretrial detention: Braian Nahuel Paiz, 22, and Ezequiel Pereyra, 25, both accused of supplying drugs to Payne. Earlier this month, on November 6, a pre-inquest review took place at Buckinghamshire Coroners Court. The coroner adjourned the inquest yet again as he awaits more evidence, per Mirror.
A trial date has not been set for Pereyra and Paiz, and cops are reportedly still going through 800 hours of CCTV footage as well as mobile phones and laptops.