- Liam Payne, 31, died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
- Local prosecutors said on Thursday that they charged 3 people in connection with his death.
- A hotel employee and a suspected drug dealer are among the accused.
Three people have been charged in connection with the death of former One Direction member, Liam Payne, Argentinian prosecutors said on Thursday.
Payne, who was 31, died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Bueno Aires, Argentina.
On Thursday, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that three suspects have been charged with the “abandonment of a person followed by death” as well as the “supplying and facilitating the use of narcotics.”
None of the suspects have been named by the prosecutor’s office, though prosecutors say that a hotel employee and suspected drug dealer are among the accused.
According to the statement, Payne’s toxicology analysis showed that he had “traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescribed antidepressant in his body.”
Payne’s body was handed over to his father, Geoff Payne, last week, prosecutors said.
Representatives for Payne did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Payne was a member of the British boy band, One Direction. The group, which was formed by the music mogul Simon Cowell in 2010, said they were going on an extended hiatus in 2015.
Payne later embarked on a solo career. His former bandmates, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan, have also released music outside the group.
But the band’s members — with the exception of Styles — have struggled to recapture the success they had with One Direction. The group sold over 70 million records worldwide.
“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,” One Direction’s surviving members said in a joint statement last month.
“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” the statement read.
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