Liam Payne: Hotel guest describes seeing him minutes before his death in Buenos Aires

Hotel guest Bret Watson told ITV News' Dan Rivers that he had "multiple encounters" with Liam Payne on the day of his death

Warning: Readers may find some details in this article distressing

A hotel guest has described witnessing Liam Payne in the hours and minutes before his fatal fall from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, in an exclusive interview with ITV News.

Bret Watson, from Chicago, was staying at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel in the Argentinian capital ahead of his wedding, when he said he had "multiple encounters" with the One Direction star, who was staying in the same hotel.

The 34-year-old explained how he and his other wedding guests saw Payne "causing a disturbance" minutes before his death.

At one point Payne appeared to have "actually passed out" in the lobby before he "had to be physically taken back up to his room," Watson said.

He said: “So we're here with a couple of other guests in the hotel and we were in the lobby just waiting for some people to arrive and that's when we had multiple encounters with Liam.

"Multiple times [Liam] had come down to the lobby, was causing a disturbance, kept being escorted back up to his room.

"There was an incident where he was very frustrated and was smashing his laptop in the lobby. And then the final time he came back down, he actually passed out in the lobby of the hotel, started, looked like [he was] convulsing a little bit and had to be physically taken back up to his room.

"And that was about five minutes before the eventual incident that happened.”

Watson had taken a picture of Payne in the lobby of the hotel earlier in the day. In it, he is lying on a sofa looking at emails on his laptop.

Watson also recalled the moment later that day when he saw the pop star fall to his death.

“I was in my hotel room, two floors below and directly below and saw the body fall through, looking out the window, saw the body fall and obviously heard the aftermath and could see his body on the ground afterwards.”

When asked what was going through his mind at this point, Watson responded: “It didn't seem real. You almost had to pinch yourself to understand and process what you were seeing, but it just was an out-of-body experience, surreal.”

Watson said he “had a suspicion” it was Payne almost immediately, “just based on the state of mind and the condition he was in earlier…that was my first thought.”

Hotel staff had called police amidst the incident, warning of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol”.

In a 911 call released on Thursday, the hotel manager can be heard saying they have a guest "drunk with drugs and alcohol.

"We need to send someone with urgency because I don't know if the guest's life is in danger because he is in a room with balcony, and we are afraid he could do something that threatens life," the hotel manager added.

Soon after police arrived, they were told a loud sound had been heard in the hotel's interior courtyard, where they later discovered Payne's body.

Medics confirmed his death at the scene. He was 31 years old.

Buenos Aires police said the singer's fall resulted in “extremely serious injuries.”

The prosecutor’s office indicated the musician was alone when the fall occurred and said he appeared to be “going through some kind of outbreak due to substance abuse”.

Tributes have poured in from fans and celebrities around the world after the news of the star's death became public.

A statement signed by his former One Direction band mates, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan on Thursday night said: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.

"In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.

“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

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