Liam Payne's devastated father reveals he was told of son's death in heartbreaking four-word call

Liam Payne's dad has shared how he was told his son had died.

His dad, Geoff, has spoken in a witness statement to reveal that Roger Nores, who has been listed as Liam's de facto manager, made a string of urgent calls to him on the night Liam died. The One Direction star tragically died aged 31 after falling from the balcony of his third floor hotel room while holidaying in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

An autopsy ruled that Liam had died instantly after his fall which caused "multiple traumatic injuries" and subsequently led to "internal and external hemorrhage". Meanwhile, an inquest in the UK ruled that Liam's death had been caused by "polytrauma". A hearing, which Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court said was held on December 17, was told it may take "some time" to ascertain how the musician died.

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Now, Geoff, who flew to Argentina just hours after the devastating news was confirmed, has told how he was informed of his son's death via a frantic phone call by Nores – who is facing prosecution over his death. In his witness statement, Mr Payne said: "I was at home with my wife. He called me at 17.23 Buenos Aires time, but I didn't see the call until about an hour later.

"In between he called me one more time and sent me a message to call him back as soon as possible. When I saw all those calls at 6.18 pm Argentinian time, I called him back." Geoff was told by Nores: "An accident happened. Liam's dead, he's dead. You have to come to Argentina."

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores (left)
(Image: Snapchat)

Geoff also stated that he had no idea that Liam had been using a different phone for people to contact him on. He said in his statement: "Liam did not have a mobile phone of his own and it was his decision. Over the last few years he changed his mobile phone numerous times. He chose to stay offline as a method of protection to avoid social media and also to keep away from the possibility of relapsing into his addictions.

"That decision was his own personal one and he had the full support of the family group. Speaking from a personal point of view, I agreed that it was really a way for him to take care of himself." A phone, said to have been used by Liam to contact escorts in the area, was found in his hotel room and was later taken away by police following his death.

Mr Nores, who previously denied claims he was acting as Liam's manager, is one of three men charged with manslaughter. The others are hotel chief receptionist Esteban Grassi, who made a 911 call moments before Liam died, and head of security Gilda Martin. All three men are facing between one and five years in prison if convicted as charged although they have been told they could be eligible for suspended jail sentences.

The other two suspects, 24-year-old waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz and 21-year-old suspended hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra, have both been charged with selling Liam cocaine and warned they could face prison sentences of between four and 15 years if convicted. Judge Bruniard, in her recent indictment ruling accused Mr Nores, currently banned from leaving Argentina because of the charges against him, of "failing in his duty of care, assistance and help" towards the singer.

Liam Payne
(Image: Getty Images)

She alleged he "abandoned him to his fate, knowing he couldn't fend for himself, aware he suffered multiple additions to alcohol and cocaine and fully conscious of the state of intoxication, vulnerably and defenceless he was in". Earlier this week, it emerged the businessman had been described as Liam's manager in an internal hotel email after he visited CasaSur Palermo Hotel and was shown a first-floor room he "liked a lot" before the singer ended up checking into the third-floor suite he plunged from after binging on drink and drugs.

The word 'Manager' was written along the name Roger Nores towards the end of an October 11 email published by respected Argentinian news website Infobae and the words assistant manager against the name below Roger's - that of Lulu Miranda who has been referred to in prior reports about the Liam Payne investigation as a pop star and a friend of Mr Nores.

She is believed to be a Los Angeles-born artist born to an Argentinian diplomat father and a Brazilian mother who has lived in Buenos Aires since she was a teenager. She is not among the five people charged late last month by judge Laura Bruniard and there is no suggestion at this stage she will be accused of any wrongdoing, or that she was actually acting as Liam's assistant manager in any formal or informal capacity.

Flowers and tributes for One Direction's Liam Payne lay in the bandstand of West Park after being relocated from the town centre by council workers on November 08, 2024 in Wolverhampton, England
(Image: Getty Images)

Argentinian prosecutors referred to Liam's friend Roger Nores in a lengthy statement they released last week as the "victim's representative", although they identified him only by his initials R.L.N. Mr Nores told a recent TMZ documentary examining the life and death of Liam Payne that he was "in good spirits and perfectly balanced" the day he died as he refuted claims the singer was acting erratically and was intoxicated shortly before his fatal fall.

The businessman had previously protested his innocence and refuted claims he was Liam's 'de facto' manager, which is seen as a key aspect to the prosecution decision. He said in a statement shortly after it emerged he was being officially investigated before being charged: "I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened.

"There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen. I've given my statement to the prosecutor on October 17 as a witness and I haven't spoken to any police officer or prosecutor ever since.

"I wasn't Liam's manager. He was just my very dear friend." Mr Nores is understood to have insisted in a written statement he presented to the courts recently that he "wasn't Liam's doctor, lawyer, representative or therapeutic companion" and their relationship was based solely around friendship.

In deciding to indict hotel chiefs Mr Grassi and Mr Martin, Laura Bruniard pointed the finger at them over their decision to move Liam from the lobby to his third-floor room when he couldn't stand on his feet because of his prior drink and drug binge. She said it "created a legally unacceptable risk to his life" which had "foreseeable" consequences.

Ezequiel Pereyra handed himself in on Monday after making himself a fugitive last week following failed police attempts to locate and arrest him so he could be remanded in pre-trial custody on the orders of the investigating judge. Paiz, who has denied any wrongdoing and insists he took drugs with Liam but never sold him cocaine, was arrested last Friday so he could be remanded in prison. The other three suspects have been allowed to remain free men but were told to surrender assets to stay out of prison.

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