How Liam Payne got here to depend on an Argentinian pal who helped him again to his Buenos Aires resort room, reveals ALISON BOSHOFF
Liam Payne had turned to a South American friend to give him professional advice over the final six months of his life.
Multiple sources confirm that Payne, who was tragically found dead in Buenos Aires on Wednesday last week after falling from the third floor window of his hotel room, referred to Argentinian pal Roger Nores as his ‘manager’.
He and Roger had been living in one another’s pockets in Wellington, Florida.
Nores is close to megabucks investor Gonzalo Avendano and lives in the latter’s guest house in Florida.
He introduced the former One Direction star to Avendano, and Payne lived in the main house with Avendano and his family for a period, although he had recently moved to his own property a few blocks away.
Liam had all sorts of plans for the future, including setting up a recording studio and going into business.
Yesterday it was revealed he had also been in talks to go on tour – but there were worries about how he would cope with the pressure. A source said: ‘There was a great deal of unease among his friends that this was a bad idea.’
Multiple sources confirm that Payne, who was tragically found dead in Buenos Aires on Wednesday last week after falling from the third floor window of his hotel room, referred to Argentinian pal Roger Nores as his ‘manager’
Liam had all sorts of plans for the future, including setting up a recording studio and going into business
Nores (above), an energy fund boss, was one of the last people to see Payne alive and was photographed taking him up to his room in a lift after the singer began behaving erratically in the hotel lobby last Wednesday
Nores, an energy fund boss, was one of the last people to see Payne alive and was photographed taking him up to his room in a lift after the singer began behaving erratically in the hotel lobby last Wednesday.
One music industry source said: ‘Over the last six months he didn’t have a formal manager, but he would talk about Roger as his manager.
‘There seemed to be a different focus over the last six months. It seemed to be less about trying to help him with his serious addiction problems and more to do with taking up a lot of new ideas, new projects, new ventures.’
Another source said: ‘Roger was someone to call to get through to Liam.’ Among Payne’s projects was Netflix show Building The Band. In it, 50 singers compete to form a band without seeing each other. He was a mentor alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland.
It’s believed that Payne fell to his death after ‘substance abuse’. Local reports say Nores has blamed hotel staff for allegedly selling him drugs.
Payne had been managed from 2016 to 2021 by Simon Oliveira at Doyen Global. He then moved to be managed by Steve Finan O’Connor (husband of former Olympic athlete Denise Lewis). Payne stayed with their family for periods while he was struggling with sobriety and other issues, including the breakdown of his relationship with Cheryl Tweedy, the mother of his seven-year-old son Bear.
Sources say he maintained a friendly relationship with X Factor boss Simon Cowell, who had picked him to be in One Direction. But there was friction with the bosses at Modest! Management, who at that time took on all of the X Factor acts.
Payne stayed with their family for periods while he was struggling with sobriety and other issues, including the breakdown of his relationship with Cheryl Tweedy, the mother of his seven-year-old son Bear
Fans mourn the loss of Liam Payne at a memorial of flowers, candles, pictures and hand written notes in Washington Square Park
It’s believed that Payne fell to his death after ‘substance abuse’. Local reports say Nores has blamed hotel staff for allegedly selling him drugs
One source said: ‘Towards the end of One D they all absolutely hated Modest!, with the exception of Niall [Horan].
‘Richard Griffiths was the boss and he was quite headmasterly and stern. They worked them very, very hard indeed. Modest! made an absolute fortune very quickly.
‘On one tour they set up a mobile recording studio so that One D could work on the next album while they were touring the current one. It was five albums in five years – bang, bang, bang.
‘You might take the point of view they were run into the ground; or you could look at it another way and say they had a moment when they were the biggest band in the world and they made hay while they could – because it was never going to last for ever.’
Another source says: ‘I remember the boys getting up at 3am on tour so that they could sneak out and get tattoos, and then having to get up at 6am to travel. It was a crazy life.’
