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Liam Payne’s Manager, Hotel Staff Failed ‘Vulnerable’ Singer before Death, Judge Says

British singer-songwriter Liam Payne poses on the red carpet on arrival for the BRIT Awards 2019 in London on February 20, 2019. (AFP)
British singer-songwriter Liam Payne poses on the red carpet on arrival for the BRIT Awards 2019 in London on February 20, 2019. (AFP)
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Liam Payne’s Manager, Hotel Staff Failed ‘Vulnerable’ Singer before Death, Judge Says

British singer-songwriter Liam Payne poses on the red carpet on arrival for the BRIT Awards 2019 in London on February 20, 2019. (AFP)
British singer-songwriter Liam Payne poses on the red carpet on arrival for the BRIT Awards 2019 in London on February 20, 2019. (AFP)

An Argentine judge argued that the manager of former One Direction singer Liam Payne and employees of the hotel where he was staying failed the popstar in the moments before his death and allowed charges against them to proceed, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office on Monday.

Payne fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October.

Payne's manager as well as the manager of the hotel and its head of reception are charged with manslaughter in relation to the former pop superstar's death. They face up to five years in prison if convicted.

A hotel employee and a local waiter are accused of plying Payne with cocaine during his stay, and face up to 15 years in prison. The judge in her decision on Friday ordered them jailed ahead of their trial.

"Taking Payne up to his room in the state he was in was to put his life at risk," the judge said in her decision, which was released with the prosecutor's statement. "It was obvious that he was vulnerable."

Payne's autopsy showed that at the time of his death he had "large quantities" of cocaine and alcohol in his system, according to the statement.

Payne allegedly purchased cocaine at least four times from the hotel employee and waiter over a three-day period.

Footage from the lobby of the Casa Sur hotel in the posh Palermo neighborhood showed that minutes before Payne's death on Oct. 16 he was seen unconscious and being carried up to his room by three people.

The hotel receptionist headed the group, and was then seen with the hotel manager in the hallway outside Payne's room, according to the statement.

"Payne's consciousness was altered and there was a balcony in the room. The proper thing to do was to leave him in a safe place and in company until a doctor arrived," the judge said.

She added that evidence showed that Payne attempted to leave his room through the balcony but due to the state he was in he fell.

Payne's manager, identified only by his initials "RLN," left the hotel less than an hour before the fall. The judge argued that he should not have entrusted the hotel employees with Payne's wellbeing.

The judge barred the manager, who is a US citizen, from leaving Argentina.

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‘Comeback’ Queen Demi Moore ‘Has Always Been Here,’ Says Director

US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)
US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)
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‘Comeback’ Queen Demi Moore ‘Has Always Been Here,’ Says Director

US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)
US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)

Demi Moore's Golden Globe best actress win for "The Substance" has, almost overnight, transformed the 1990s megastar into a seemingly unlikely favorite for the Oscars.

In her acceptance speech Sunday, the 62-year-old -- who once generated headlines as much for her love life as for her hit films -- said she had long been dismissed as a "popcorn actress," and had never "won anything as an actor."

But for Coralie Fargeat, the French director who also wrote Moore's new, blood-drenched body horror film, there is nothing surprising about the late-career reappraisal her leading lady is now enjoying.

"It was so moving to see Demi on that stage," Fargeat told AFP, the morning after Moore's big win.

The movie allowed audiences "to see who she is as an actress, and not project any more the stereotype that if you're beautiful, you can't be a good actress."

"It is being called a comeback. But she has always been here," Fargeat added.

Society's obsession with pigeonholing and pinning expiration dates on women is the core premise of "The Substance."

In the film, globally distributed by MUBI, Moore's character Elisabeth is a fading movie star, who is abruptly fired from her hit TV fitness show as she turns 50.

Out of desperation, she injects herself with a mysterious serum which allows her to live in a younger version of her body -- as long as she returns to her older form every week.

Inevitably, the allure of remaining young proves too strong, especially after Elisabeth's stunningly youthful alter ego is catapulted to fame by creepy male executives.

- 'Dream' -

Fargeat had long been a fan of Moore's acting work, which included hits like "Indecent Proposal" and "Ghost," as well as more divisive fare like "G.I. Jane."

"I could like or not like the movies, but I think she always delivered pretty great performances," said the director.

But Moore's real-life career also incarnated "this iconic star" represented by her character in "The Substance."

"Someone who has been totally valued for this dream, this fake promise that if you're young, beautiful, you're going to be happy and successful," said Fargeat.

"And when this goes away, it's like all your life is going away."

Even so, Moore's pitch-perfect casting as Elisabeth nearly did not happen.

Fargeat at first assumed Moore would not be interested in a role requiring countless, grotesque scenes of gore and decay.

But the director picked up a copy of Moore's 2019 memoir "Inside Out," which laid bare the actor's battles with ageism and misogyny, as well as addiction, abuse and very public divorces.

"When I read her book, I really saw that she was ready to take the level of risk that the movie requested," said Fargeat.

"The film is really about women's bodies. I wanted to tell my stories [in] the flesh," recalled Fargeat.

Fargeat also admits she was a demanding and meticulous director on set, requiring "a lot of takes."

Moore has spoken about losing 20 pounds (nine kilos) and contracting shingles due to the intense strain of filming, while co-star Margaret Qualley described being in the movie's prosthetic suits as "torture" that triggered panic attacks.

"If the lead performance isn't ready to go that far, the whole movie falls apart," said Fargeat.

Moore "took the risk to follow the vision of the movie... that's very, very brave and courageous," she said.

- Oscars race -

With the Globes win, more attention will come to "The Substance" -- both from wider audiences, and Oscars voters, who are picking their final nominees on ballots due this week.

Fargeat herself could earn nods for best director and best original screenplay, and "The Substance" is tipped by many pundits to make the best picture list.

But few would now bet against Moore for best actress.

"From the beginning, I believed that this can happen," said Fargeat. "That's what cinema is about -- creating things that people are not expecting."

"I'm just immensely proud to have created this part."