A witness to Liam Payne’s fatal fall described the experience as something he “will never forget.”
The One Direction star’s death continues to haunt those who saw it happen.
Bret Watson, in Buenos Aires for his mid-October wedding, stayed at the CasaSur Palermo hotel. On October 16, he and his wedding planner were on the first floor when they saw Payne’s tragic fall.
Liam Payne fell from the hotel’s third-floor balcony, sustaining multiple injuries, including “internal and external hemorrhages,” according to the preliminary autopsy report. He was 31 years old.
Watson, featured in TMZ Presents: Liam Payne: Who’s to Blame?, shared details of the events leading up to the incident. He recalled Payne becoming increasingly intoxicated and behaving erratically throughout the day.
According to Watson, hotel staff carried Payne by his arms and legs from the lobby to his room. Left alone shortly after, Payne tragically fell from the balcony.
When Payne fell, Watson and the wedding planner rushed to the balcony. Identifying him immediately, Watson said Payne landed on his back, facing up. “We knew it was Liam. He wasn’t moving,” he recounted to TMZ.
Describing the surreal moment, Watson said, “Time felt like it stopped. We just stared at each other, realizing this was real. It actually happened.”
For Watson, the sound of Payne hitting the ground was even more disturbing than witnessing the fall. “Seeing someone fall like that is devastating, but the sound of his body hitting the ground—it was haunting,” he shared.
He added, “The aftermath is something burned into my mind. It’s something I’ll never be able to forget.”
Other hotel guests reported hearing unusual noises from Payne’s room on the day of the tragedy. One guest recalled “a lot of noise,” including “a loud, violent scream” before the fall.
The guest initially believed the sounds were related to construction. “It sounded like heavy lifting or banging,” they explained, recalling hotel staff entering and exiting Payne’s room frequently.
Around 4:30 p.m., the noise intensified. By 5 p.m., police were on the scene, confirming Payne’s death shortly after their arrival.
The guest described hearing the scream minutes before the fall. “It was loud and violent—something I’ll never forget,” they said.
Weeks after Payne’s passing, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement. Three individuals were arrested and charged in connection with his death.
The charges include abandonment of a person resulting in death and the supply and facilitation of narcotics. The case remains under investigation as Payne’s death continues to raise questions.