One of Liam Payne‘s closest friends has revealed how he started playing polo in the months before his death to ‘give him a new purpose in life’.
Wealthy investor Gonzalo Avendano – who has his own polo team and has played against Prince Harry – encouraged Liam to learn ‘the sport of kings’ as a form of therapy ‘because being around horses is healing’.
Gonzalo, 56, allowed the former boy-band star to stay for free at his sprawling Patagones polo clubs in Florida and Argentina, saying: ‘I have been a polo player all my life and I have seen how polo has helped many people make a fresh start in their lives.
‘I encouraged Liam to take up polo because it would give him something to do – a new passion and purpose in life.
‘Being around horses is healthy and healing. Liam loved the challenge of learning a new sport and was looking forward to riding every day. It was a form of therapy for him.’
Wealthy investor and polo enthusiast Gonzalo Avendano encouraged Liam to learn ‘the sport of kings’ as a form of therapy ‘because being around horses is healing’
Royal connections: Gonzalo playing against Prince Harry at a polo match in New York in 2010
One of Payne’s final selfies in Buenos Aires was captioned ‘Lovely day in Argentina’ and was taken from Gonzalo’s Argentina farm last weekend
The One Direction star’s final social media post – made just an hour before his fatal plunge from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday – was a video shot at Gonzalo’s Argentina farm last weekend.
A relaxed Liam joked about having a very late breakfast with girlfriend Kate Cassidy at 1pm saying: ‘I’m staying at my lovely friend Gon’s house. I’m going to be playing polo again. It’s a lovely day here in Argentina.’
The 31-year-old complained his body was sore: ‘Honestly polo, out of everything I’ve done sports-wise, it’s so hard to do.’
Gonzalo said: ‘Liam invited me to go on this trip but I had to stay in the US for business.
‘He called me three hours before it [his death] happened. He didn’t sound drunk or under the influence of drugs.
‘He was happy and said: ‘Hey, my friend, when are you coming here?’ We had a brief chat. He was ringing to say hi and to give me the number of his new phone.
‘Liam never mentioned the idea of committing suicide. He had plans for the future.
‘He bought recording equipment and was composing and recording new songs. He went to Sweden in August and recorded songs in a studio.
‘We talked about buying land and building a recording studio together. He asked me to give him lessons in investing because he wanted to start his own companies.’
The Argentine-American businessman met Liam at the beginning of this year through Roger Nores, 35, an energy fund boss who was the last person to see Liam alive.
Liam fell from his 45ft-high balcony at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday
Mr Nores was photographed taking Liam to his third-floor room at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday after the One Direction star smashed his laptop in the hotel lobby during what bystanders said appeared to be a ‘psychotic episode’.
Mr Nores left minutes before Liam fell from the 45ft-high balcony at 5.04pm, dying instantly of multiple injuries including an ‘unsurvivable’ skull fracture.
Late night, police sources said drugs found in Liam’s hotel room included a powerful hallucinogenic nicknamed ‘Cristal’ which causes aggression and psychotic attacks.
Police believe the drugs were supplied by a hotel employee and criminal charges ‘are likely.’
Gonzalo said Liam became ‘like family’ after he invited the star to live with his family in their home in Wellington, Florida.
Gonzalo said: ‘Liam came to live in my Florida house in April and stayed until a few weeks ago when he rented his own place five minutes away and moved in with his girlfriend.’
‘Roger lives in my guest house so I was happy to invite Liam to stay in my house to help him make a fresh start. My whole family love Liam.
‘I have three sons around the same age and he was a teaching one of them to rap.
‘Most nights we would have dinner, listen to music, go bowling. His father Geoff spent a lot of time over here with us.
‘Liam was a lonely soul. He told me he never had a break for ten years when he was with One Direction. It was work, work, work.
‘He was childlike. I’m not a psychologist but in some ways his emotional maturity stopped at 16 when he joined that band.
‘When he was composing, drawing, creating he was fine. His problem was he didn’t know how to be alone.’
Thousands of fans gathered outside the hotel where Liam Payne died after news of his death
Gonzalo treasures four exquisite hand-drawn sketches given to him by Liam – three based on horse sculptures by British artist Nic Fiddian Green.
His friend and mentor never saw signs of hard drug use, saying: ‘He stayed in my homes in Florida and Argentina and both have permanent staff so even if I wasn’t there I would have heard if there had been any incidents.
‘After Liam moved into his own place with Kate a few weeks ago they would drop by most nights.
‘He wasn’t a party person. He hung out with my sons. There was beer in the fridge and sometimes he’d take one out, but he never finished the can.
‘We went to Argentina together in May to see [One Direction bandmate] Louis Tomlinson in concert.
‘Liam has a huge fan base in Argentina and all night girls were coming up to him. During that trip we went to my farm outside Buenos Aires for the first time.
‘He loved it so much he wanted to go back this time. He and Kate stayed there last Friday through Sunday then Kate flew home.
‘She rang me when she got home this week and said, ‘Liam’s coming home in a couple of days.’
‘He usually stays at the Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires. On this trip he started there, but there were 300 girls outside the hotel every night so after he left my farm he checked into a low-key hotel where maybe he thought he would have more privacy.’
Gonzalo refuses to be drawn into speculation about what caused Liam to go on the drugs and booze bender which ended in tragedy.
Instead, he says simply: ‘I will never forgive myself for not being there. I feel like I failed him.’