Three people have reportedly been arrested in connection with Liam Payne’s death.
On October 16, the beloved One Direction star died at the age of 31, leading to an outpouring of grief from fans around the world.
Payne, who found fame on The X Factor as a teenager in 2010, fell from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and died immediately.
Authorities have been investigating the circumstances surrounding Payne’s untimely death in recent weeks, with his body having arrived home as funeral arrangements get underway.
Now, nearly one month on from the tragic loss, according to ABC World News, two hotel workers are among the three detained.
‘Police arrested two hotel workers accused of supplying the drugs,’ David Muir told the outlet, citing authorities.
He added that they ‘raided the home of a friend, also detained.’
As per TMZ, who first broke the news of Payne’s death, raids were conducted on Tuesday night.
It’s believed that officers also searched the hotel lockers of the workers and reviewed CCTV footage from the hotel CasaSur Palermo, where he was staying.
Additionally, police are believed to want to speak to the ‘friend’ of Payne’s who was not present during the raid.
Investigators were also said to be looking into a Dove soapbox that was found in Payne’s hotel room.
It is being explored that hotel employees smuggled drugs to the Strip That Down hitmaker.
Payne, whose cause of death was his head injuries sustained upon impact, reportedly had traces of cocaine in his system when he died.
According to Argentinian outlets, the 1D star’s early toxicology reports suggest that he had pink cocaine (which comprises several drugs), cocaine, benzodiazepine, and crack in his body.
In recent years, Payne spoke openly about his addiction struggles and mental health problems, having risen to fame at a tender age and gained a millions-strong fanbase.
It’s said Payne bravely entered rehab just months ago, having also been candid about his agoraphobia at the height of his fame in 1D.
Following his shock death, thousands of fans have started campaigning for better protections for artists’ mental health in the music industry.
One fan, named Day, set up a petition, which has already well exceeded 100,000 signatures, and told Metro that she ‘will not stop’ until Liam’s Law is implemented and record labels are held accountable for breaching their duty of care.
The latest update comes after Payne’s father, Geoff, left South America, having arrived two days after his son died, attending a fan memorial outside the hotel while he was there.
Argentinian press said last week of the repatriation: ‘All the documents are ready for the former One Direction singer to return to his homeland so a funeral can take place there next week.
‘When Geoff Payne reached Argentina on October 18, he was told the repatriation process could take between four and five days, but because of the circumstances surrounding his son’s death, things took longer than expected.’
A close friend of the Teardrops singer has told MailOnline of plans for Payne’s final goodbye, saying: ‘Liam will have a very big send-off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart.
‘Liam was so loved by so many people, there will obviously be enormous demand and so the service will necessarily be a huge affair.’
Payne was born in Wolverhampton to parents Geoff and Karen and grew up with older sisters Nicola and Ruth.
He moved down south as an adult after finding fame.
Payne is survived by a seven-year-old son, Bear, whom he shares with Girls Aloud singer and ex-partner Cheryl. At the time of his death, Payne was dating Kate Cassidy, 25.
Meanwhile, his surviving bandmates, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles, all expressed their sorrow in the days after Payne’s death.
Also in a joint statement shared to their dormant social media accounts (One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2015), the group wrote: ‘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.’
It is not known whether the other What Makes You Beautiful singers will attend Payne’s funeral.
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