- Liam Payne, 31, died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
- Local prosecutors said Thursday they have charged three people in connection with his death.
- The suspects include a hotel employee and a suspected drug dealer.
Three people have been charged in connection with the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday.
Payne, who was 31, died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
On Thursday, Argentina’s National Prosecution Service said in a statement that three suspects have been charged with “abandonment of a person followed by death” and “supplying and facilitating the use of narcotics.”
None of the suspects have been named by prosecutors, although prosecutors say the suspects include a hotel worker and a suspected drug dealer.
According to the affidavit, Payne’s toxicology analysis showed he had “traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system.”
Payne’s body was turned over to his father, Geoff Payne, last week, prosecutors said.
Representatives for Payne did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Payne was a member of the British boy band One Direction. The group, which was founded in 2010 by music mogul Simon Cowell, said they would take an extended break in 2015.
Payne later embarked on a solo career. His former band members, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis TomlinsonAnd Niall Horan, have also released music outside the group.
But the band members – with the exception of Styles – have struggled to recapture the success they had with One Direction. The group sold more than 70 million records worldwide.
“We are completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able, there will be more to say,” the surviving members of One Direction said in a joint statement last month.
“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, whom we loved dearly,” the statement said.