Drugs to blame in Liam Payne’s death, close friend says
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Prosecutors said English singer Liam Payne’s autopsy showed that at the time of his death, he had “large quantities” of cocaine and alcohol in his system.
PHOTO: AFP
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Drugs are the only thing to blame in the death of former One Direction star Liam Payne, according to a close friend who was cleared in February of charges he was involved with the singer’s death
Mr Rogelio “Roger” Nores, speaking to Reuters on March 7 alongside his lawyer, described Payne’s October fall from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony
Mr Nores and two employees at the hotel where the English singer died were cleared by a court in February of any wrongdoing.
Two other people remain detained, awaiting trial over accusations that they plied the 31-year-old with cocaine during his stay in Buenos Aires.
“As a friend, you see them having a drugs problem and you do what you can, but at the end of the day, it’s their decision,” said Mr Nores. “You start seeing a chain of events, and it was just bad luck – it happened in a way that ended in tragedy.”
Payne was known for his stint in one of the most popular boy bands of all time, One Direction, created by English television personality Simon Cowell from contestants on the British version of reality TV music competition The X Factor in 2010.
Payne met Mr Nores, a businessman, in 2020, later visiting him at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, according to Mr Nores, a dual US-Argentina citizen.
“The last six months of his life, we were together every single day, all the time, along with our girlfriends at that time,” Mr Nores said. He last saw Payne that fateful afternoon in the hotel, said his lawyer.
Argentine prosecutors had argued that Mr Nores’ closeness with Payne, and his alleged role as the singer’s manager – a role Mr Nores and his lawyer denied – made him responsible in his death.
Mr Rogelio “Roger” Nores, a friend of former One Direction star Liam Payne, was cleared in February of charges he was involved with the singer’s death.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Prosecutors said Payne’s autopsy showed that at the time of his death, he had “large quantities” of cocaine and alcohol in his system.
Mr Nores’ lawyer, Mr Rafael Cuneo Libarona, said Mr Nores had sent Payne’s family an e-mail the month of his death, recommending he be sent to a rehabilitation facility.
“It’s hard for someone famous to say no to drugs,” Mr Cuneo Libarona said. “Cocaine, ‘tusi’ (pink cocaine), crack, heroin are all drugs that are really accessible to famous people, and there are so many dealers.
“So let’s not look for who’s guilty, it’s the drugs that are at fault.”
Despite being cleared by the court, fans are still upset with him, said Mr Nores.
“When it’s someone you grew up with – with their voice, their songs – and all of a sudden they’re gone, it’s hard to deal with,” Mr Nores said. “They’re trying to find an explanation.” REUTERS
