Liam Payne’s drug use brought him “close to death” several months before his fatal fall in October, according to his friend Roger Nores.
In a 91-page dossier provided to ROLLING STONE on Thursday, Nores, who is accused of failure to render aid resulting in death, described the alleged extent of Liam Paynes Substance abuse, which he said has resulted in multiple hospitalizations, multiple visits to rehab centers and two resuscitation procedures in the past two years.
Last week, a judge ordered an “indagatoria,” in which suspects must be questioned as part of the investigation. The suspects are not obliged to respond to the questioning. And can submit written answers. Like Nores did on Wednesday. This is not a sworn statement.
The document – which includes Nores’ version of events and screenshots of conversations with people close to the former One Direction member – was submitted by Nores to support his defense against charges of abandonment resulting in death.
“I was a friend who loved him very much”
“I was a friend who loved him very much. Who selflessly helped him with everything I could. And who spent his own money to help him. And even then it wasn’t enough,” Nores writes in Spanish in the document obtained by ROLLING STONE. “And I don’t believe I deserve the charges that have been brought against me.”
In the lawsuit, Nores alleges that Payne was in and out of rehab clinics in Europe and the United States in the months before his death. That he was using heroin. And that his drug use almost killed him several times.
In one case, in September 2023, Nores claims that Liam Payne “suffered from severe intoxication that almost cost him his life.” And that he was in hospital in Milan for three days. He claims that at this point Payne was forced to cancel a Latin American tour due to the incident and his subsequent visit to a rehab center. Payne canceled the tour in August due to a “severe kidney infection.”
Harder drugs like heroin
“Due to his addiction, Payne continued to voluntarily attend rehab centers to overcome it,” the statement said. “Unfortunately, these treatments were not successful. And his addiction worsened when he started using harder drugs like heroin.”
Nores claims Liam Payne was hospitalized again twice in London in late 2023. And due to his “high level of intoxication” he was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he had to be resuscitated. “Experts had to undertake resuscitation measures to save his life. Without his family or friends being able to do anything to avoid these situations. Or help him,” claims Nores.
Rehabilitation facility in Spain
Nores claims that Payne’s drug problems continued to worsen in early 2024 and that Payne was admitted to a rehab facility in Spain in March. Payne left the rehab facility before completing treatment and returned to drug use, Nores claims. The following month, Payne was revived again after a near overdose.
“Liam suffered another relapse in his addiction, requiring him to be hospitalized again in serious condition and professionals having to undertake resuscitation measures to save his life,” Nores claims. He further claims that after this incident, Payne’s father tried to have him committed to a mental health facility, but Payne opposed the idea.
Help for his drug addiction
Since he was not legally required to stay there, Payne allowed himself to be released from the hospital. And returned to the United States to seek help for his drug addiction. Claims Nores. The lawsuit alleges that Payne’s family and friends allowed him drugs the day before he left for the United States. To “prevent him from becoming violent.” (The document does not indicate the exact date of his return to the United States.)
Nores maintains that Payne did not use drugs this summer. Not even during a trip to Argentina, when Payne attended a Louis Tomlinson show in South America. However, at the beginning of August he and Payne had a “violent argument”. In which he stopped Payne from returning to Manchester, England. Because Nores noticed that Payne had started using drugs again.
In an Aug. 23 email obtained by ROLLING STONE, Nores wrote to Payne’s lawyer and father Geoff that he was “genuinely concerned about his well-being” in the United Kingdom. “I hope you can get professional doctors to check his health regularly as soon as possible. Just like I did when he was in the US,” Nores wrote. “I’m going to stay completely out of it from now on. And don’t contact me again. I wish you all the best for Liam’s health and career.”
Representatives for Payne’s family in Argentina and the United Kingdom did not immediately respond to ROLLING STONE’s request for comment on Nores’ request. Nores did not comment.
“Abandonment resulting in death”
The “abandonment resulting in death” indictment accuses Nores of abandoning Payne. Even though he knew he wasn’t able to take care of himself. And/or was not in his right mind. For this charge, Nores faces five to 15 years in prison. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, Nores claims he was not his doctor, attorney or representative. And claims that when he left Payne at the hotel on the day of his death he was “greeting fans”. He seemed fine. (He told TMZ he was “playful” and in “a good mood.”)
In the document, Nores blames the hotel staff for carrying Payne’s body to his room. Where there was a higher risk of him dying. According to a 911 call, the receptionist claimed that the musician had “broken everything in his room” before the fatal fall. “If Liam had not been forcefully taken into the room, but had been left in the lobby and a doctor called while they watched him convulsing, none of this would have happened,” the filing says.
In addition to Nores, the other four people charged in this case have responded to the allegations. Next, the judge must decide whether the defendants should be prosecuted further. Whether the proceedings against them should be dropped. Or whether there is no evidence for either decision.
Alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant
Liam Payne died at the age of 31 from multiple traumas and internal bleeding after falling from the third floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo hotel on October 16. In November, prosecutors found alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant in Payne’s system at the time of his death, according to a toxicology report. Many questions still arise about what led to his death.
On Saturday, Payne’s fans staged a march in Buenos Aires. To demand meaningful and timely progress in the investigation. The gathering came after a picture was leaked online that appeared to show Payne being carried back to his room by three hotel workers. Apparently just a few minutes before he fell.