Liam Payne Was in a 'Very Bad Place Mentally' Before His Shocking Death at 31, Source Claims: His 'Inner Circle' Is 'Stunned'
Liam Payne had been open about his struggles with mental health for years — but last week, his issues turned fatal when he plummeted from the third floor of CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, October 16.
The late One Direction singer's family members, girlfriend Kate Cassidy, friends and former bandmates all spoke out in the days after his death at age 31, with his loved ones shocked and distraught over the tragic event that occurred.
"There’s a collective sense of stunned disbelief within his inner circle," a source spilled to a news publication regarding how Payne's family is doing in the week after his drug-provoked death. "The scale of grief is impossible to process, let alone put into words."
"It’s becoming increasingly evident that he was in a very bad place mentally," the source noted of Payne — who had a toxic combination of cocaine, benzodiazepine, crack and "pink cocaine" in his system at the time of his passing.
"Pink cocaine" is a powdery drug typically containing a mixture of methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA, and can cause someone to hallucinate or make a person feel detached from reality due to its dissociative and psychedelic components.
One of the most devastating aspects of Payne's death involves his son, Bear, 7, having to grow up without a father.
- Liam Payne's Family 'Utterly Devastated and Heartbroken' by His Sudden Death: 'We Are Supporting Each Other the Best We Can'
- Liam Payne's Buenos Aires Hotel Room Raided by Police Amid Investigation Into Late One Direction Singer's Drug-Related Death
- AJ McLean Texted 'Old Soul' Liam Payne 1 Day Before His Tragic Death: 'We Spoke Candidly About Sobriety'
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
The "Teardrops" singer shared his only child with his ex Cheryl Cole — who is "devastated" by Payne's death "but trying to stay strong for their little boy,” according to the insider.
"Liam adored Bear more than anything. It’s just so tragic he’s going to grow up without him," the confidante concluded.
Cole broke silence on Payne's passing two days after his death, writing via Instagram: "As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being."
"Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7-year-old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again," she expressed.
Payne's One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson promised to be "the uncle [Bear] needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was."
"I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours , reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be," Tomlinson's post read in part.
In Touch spoke to a source after Payne's passing.