- Power partly restored in Cuba after Hurricane Rafael
- NBA Lakers assign Bronny James to G-League squad
- Galatasaray down Spurs in Europa League, Man United end wait for win
- Dodgers pitcher Kershaw aims to be 'good as can be' after surgeries
- Global stocks mostly rise as Fed, Bank of England cut rates
- US Fed makes quarter point cut as Powell insists he would not quit
- Biden vows peaceful White House handover, Trump eyes Putin talks
- One Direction star took cocaine, alcohol, antidepressant before death
- F-15 fighters arrive in Middle East: US military
- Zelensky says 'unacceptable' to offer Russia concessions on Ukraine
- Undocumented immigrants in US 'terrified' as Trump returns
- US Fed chair says will not leave early if asked by Trump
- US town on alert after 43 monkeys escape research facility
- Thousands told to flee wildfire near Los Angeles
- Who will staff Trump's government? A look at top contenders
- MLS Union dump Curtin as head coach
- Galatasaray down Spurs to go top in Europa League
- George says England can still be rugby winners without Jones
- Emotions high as All Blacks eye top ranked Ireland's crown
- NATO warns of N. Korea threat in pitch to Trump on Ukraine
- US Fed cuts interest rates a quarter point after Trump victory
- What will Trump 2.0 mean for US tech?
- F1 drivers blast FIA chief's 'tone and language' in swearing row
- Unbeaten NFL Chiefs try to match best-ever start by downing Denver
- After Trump win, Orban basks in hosting European leaders
- Lights still out in Cuba after Hurricane Rafael
- Swiatek eliminated from WTA Finals, Krejcikova into semis
- Zelensky says 'unacceptable' to offer Putin concessions on Ukraine
- Mexico president says had 'very cordial' call with Trump
- World number two Swiatek eliminated from WTA Finals group stage
- Biden urges Americans to 'bring down temperature' after Trump win
- Diplomatic incident in French-owned Jerusalem church compound
- Submerged cemeteries pile pain on Spain flood survivors
- Equities rise as traders weigh Trump 2.0, rate cut prospects
- Dutch extradite mother of premature baby smuggled from France
- Former US national team coach Arena to guide MLS Earthquakes
- Fleetwood ties course record to grab lead in Abu Dhabi
- Milan's Morata a doubt for Cagliari clash with head trauma
- Sinner avoids rival Alcaraz in ATP Finals groups
- End in sight for 40-year renovation of giant Brussels courthouse
- Australia pick rugby league convert Suaalii to face England
- Private jet carbon emissions soar 46%: study
- Chinese rover finds signs of ancient ocean on Mars
- Ex-banker and Scholz ally: Germany's new finance minister
- Germany's Scholz pressed to call vote after coalition collapse
- Iran downplays Trump victory but wary of US policy change
- German big business calls for early vote, economic vision
- Europe urged to 'write own history' as Trump storms back
- Peacekeepers wounded in Israel strike in Lebanon, UN says
- Biden in Ukraine sprint as Trump victory throws US support in question
One Direction star took cocaine, alcohol, antidepressant before death
One Direction star Liam Payne consumed cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant before falling to his death from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday.
The prosecutor's office added that three people were charged with supplying him with drugs and one of them was also charged with abandoning a person in a vulnerable state.
"The results of the toxicological studies, which have been communicated to his family, revealed that, in the moments prior to his death and over a period covering at least his last 72 hours, Payne had traces of polydrug use of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body," the prosecutors said.
Payne was found dead on October 16 after plunging from the balcony of his third-floor room at the CasaSur Hotel in the Argentine capital.
An autopsy found he died after sustaining "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging" from the fall.
One of the highest-grossing live acts in the world in the 2010s, One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne went on to enjoy a degree of solo success but his career had languished recently.
His death at age 31 prompted a global outpouring of grief and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans and others.
- Three charged with drugs supply -
Prosecutors said one of the three people charged in the case had accompanied him on a daily basis during his stay in Buenos Aires and was charged with abandoning a person who later died as well as supplying him with narcotics.
The second suspect is a hotel employee accused of twice supplying Payne with cocaine while he was staying at the CasaSur. A third person is also accused of supplying him with the drug on October 14, two days before his death.
The prosecution ruled out self-harm and the "physical intervention of third parties" as the cause of Payne's death, saying that the injuries he sustained were compatible with those caused by a fall.
"Payne was either not fully conscious or was in a state of markedly diminished or absent consciousness at the time of the fall," the report said.
He was found dead after hotel staff called emergency services to report "a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room."
- Body flown home -
The toxicological report was published a day after the singer's father Geoff Payne repatriated his body to Britain aboard a flight from Buenos Aires to London.
Payne's death has prompted a debate about whether the music industry has a duty of care for the mental health of stars who find fame at a young age.
The singer from Wolverhampton in central England had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and the pressures of teenage stardom.
He first auditioned for the hugely popular television talent show "The X Factor" at the age of 14 but was unsuccessful.
Two years later he hit gold on the program, which teamed him up with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form One Direction.
Over the next six years, the group enjoyed global fame and legions of screaming fans, selling more than 70 million copies of their five albums. They went on four world tours and won nearly 200 awards.
Payne is survived by a seven-year-old boy, Bear, with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy.
O.Lorenz--BTB