Liam Payne celebrated 100 days of being sober Richard Madeley reveals

Richard Madeley has revealed that One Direction star Liam Payne had recently celebrated 100 days of being sober in a tribute to the singer after his tragic death.

The former boy band member, 31, fell from the third floor of CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires shortly after 5pm yesterday. 

He was reportedly acting erratically and had to be escorted back to his hotel room before he plunged to his death, with staff making a panicked call to police.

Police in Argentina were contacted by a member of hotel staff who reported ‘an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol‘.

Shocked fans gathered outside after police cordoned off the area with forensic investigators seen entering and exiting in white protective suits and blue gloves. 

Giving a touching tribute to the former X Factor contestant who went on to achieve global fame, Madeley said he was ‘always very open about the demons who pursued him’.

He went on to reveal that Liam was ‘proud of the fact recently that he was celebrating being 100 days clean’.

It comes as: 

He said on Good Morning Britain: ‘He was always very open about the demons who pursued him. 

‘It is so common that these young people who are extraordinarily famous at such a young age are thrust into this churning mill. 

‘He was very very frank with his issues with drugs and he was very proud of the fact recently that he was celebrating being 100 days clean. He was 100 days clean and he was very proud, it was a real achievement. 

‘Unlike some stars, he was very good with his public, open with people, happy to stand and chat.’

Liam has been open in the past about his struggles with addiction, revealing that he experienced ‘severe’ suicidal thoughts and a wild ‘pills and booze phase’ during his One Direction days.

He also celebrated the milestone of 100 days sober in May last year, and the singer said he felt ‘amazing’ and ‘super happy’.

The English star rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Harry, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32.  

Payne co-wrote more than 30 songs for the band before it split in 2016 after Mlik’s departure.

He then launched his solo career in May 2017 and he released his debut album LPI in 2019.

The singer revealed he was working on a second album in May last year.

He announced a tour that was due to begin in South America but it was postponed after Payne was admitted to hospital with a kidney infection.

Police in Argentina last night received a call from a worker at Liam’s hotel urgently requesting help with an intoxicated guest, according to audio related to the case obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry.

The worker said: ‘When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone.’

Emergency medical services director Alberto Crescenti said Payne had suffered ‘very serious injuries after falling from a third floor into an internal courtyard’.

‘We verified his identity using the passport he had,’ he added.

Mr Crescenti told Argentine newspaper Clarin that ‘the team saw that he apparently had a fracture at the base of the skull’.

The popstar had reportedly arrived in the Latin American country earlier this month to attend his ex bandmate Horan‘s concert.

Local police have since launched an investigation into the sudden death.

Ant Middleton earlier told of how his friend ‘lacked a sense of belonging’ and felt ‘lost’ following One Direction’s split as he reflected on their friendship.

The SAS star formed a close bond with the singer when they filmed the documentary Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking in 2019, in which they spent three days in Namibia.

And speaking on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain, Ant shared his devastation of Liam’s death, having being told of his passing live on air earlier in the morning during an appearance on Australia’s The Morning Show. 

Looking back at the main he knew, Ant praised Liam for being ‘such a positive, outgoing guy’, before going on to say he believed ‘lacked sense of belonging when left band.’

Ant went on to say that he related to Liam as he too ‘lost a sense of belonging’ when he left the military.

He said: ‘When we did our special together in Namibia I could relate to that. 

‘When I left the military, I lost my sense of being, and when he left the band we had a great conversation about how that identity is lost and how we re-identify ourselves and re-establish ourselves.

‘And we became very close after that.’

Referring to Liam as his ‘little brother’, Ant told how at one point he lived just an hour away from the star, revealing how they’d spend many evenings together in which they’d discuss their directions in life.

Ant also discussed the demons his friend faced, admitting he felt Liam was ‘lost’ as he tried to navigate life outside of the boy band.

Ant and Liam first met at the opening of Mark Wahlberg’s Wahlburgers restaurant in Covent Garden, London.

Ant previously told The Standard, they would regularly meet for coffees and chat about each other’s children.

He explained he could relate to Liam’s isolation and struggle to re-enter the civilian world post being a part of the century’s biggest boy band.

Liam also revealed at the time how he would confide in Ant, admitting: ‘I’ve more or less told Ant everything.’

‘I think in the situation where we were it was a release for both of us in a way. And there were things I’ve never really spoken about before.’

The documentary forced long, candid discussions about fatherhood, drinking, and relationships between the two famous men. 

The pair had no camera, no cell service, and no fans. 

During their time together, Liam admitted to Ant that becoming a father at the age of 23 ‘messed him up’. 

‘Cheryl’s [Cole] still the most important person in my life,’ he said in the documentary, referring to his ex-partner and his son Bear’s mother. 

‘They say that the age you enter fame is the age you leave it,’ Liam added in now-haunting remarks as he reflected on the lasting impacts of One Direction. 

‘I’m quite lucky to be here still.’