Last updated:October 31, 2024, 4:33 PM IST

Liam Payne had a history of drug addiction and sources close to the singer revealed that he had faced this battle several times.

Liam Payne died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. (Photo: YouTube)

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne passed away on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. He is said to have been under the influence of drugs on the tragic day. Liam had a history of drug addiction and overdosed at least once before his death. Sources close to him revealed that he had faced this battle several times. Many were surprised when his manager signed him up for the Netflix show Building the Band, with Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland, which was right after he left rehab. Those close to Liam had shared their concerns, and according to them, he was not in the right state to participate.

Speaking to Page Six, the insider explained: “His manager pushed him to do the show and there were a lot of worried texts exchanged between us. We were shocked, there was no way he was in any shape to do this. Liam had during the the past few months has been very isolated by a new group of people away from (those) who cared about him and who had been trying to help him for a long time.”

In his final days, Liam Payne was under the care of a new manager who tried to influence his decisions, including pressuring him to go back on tour. According to someone close to the singer, the manager had moved Liam to Miami to separate him from his friends and support system.

The source added that after One Direction went on hiatus in 2015, Liam’s life took a drastic turn and he struggled with drug addiction for years. “He was heartbroken and never really recovered. He was lost without his brothers,” the person said, referring to One Direction members Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.

Friends and family of Liam Payne are now wondering if Netflix and the show’s producers checked whether he was mentally and physically healthy enough to take part in the series Building the Band. However, a source connected to the show explained that the late singer was only a guest judge and did not appear in every episode.

Liam Payne’s body is currently in Argentina, where his father, Geoff Payne, is making arrangements to bring him back to the UK for burial.