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in General Factchecking by Newbie (490 points)

According to ABC News, a partial autopsy revealed that Liam Payne had multiple substances in his body, but also found that the cause of his death was from “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding.” Twenty-five injuries were reported on Payne's body, the report stated that Payne's head injuries were sufficient to cause death and that the cause of death was related to the height of the fall, says Blackwelder. 

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by Novice (870 points)
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Since this is a significant subject that demands truth, I appreciate you providing it. After reading the ABC News story, it is evident that the autopsy determined that "multiple trauma" from the fall—including head injuries and internal and external bleeding—was the main cause of death. Several chemicals were found in his body, according to the investigation, but it made it clear that these were not the primary cause of his demise.

Because blaming the death only on drug usage can propagate false information and obscure the true facts, this difference is crucial for fact-checking. In your fact-check, it might be useful to make this clear and see if any experts or forensic specialists have offered any insights into how substance abuse and trauma may interact in these situations.

Further supporting your analysis might be the whole autopsy or other reliable sources, such as medical examiner reports. Considering the delicate nature of these subjects, accuracy is essential in these conversations.
by Newbie (460 points)
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This question is correct but it is not completely true according to multiple different sources. Payne died because of drugs in his system and multiple traumas. There was more to the story than just the use of drugs.
by Novice (760 points)
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Why did you use the ABC news article as a source? The BBC article is the main deal for anything British. Liam Payne is British.
by Newbie (340 points)
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Bruh you did good research and obviously this claim is true due to all of us knowing what happended but damn.
by Newbie (300 points)
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This fact check was well-written because you provided the source, direct comments, and further elaborated on information from the source.

60 Answers

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by Newbie (300 points)

While the claim that Liam Payne died because he had drugs in his system is a popular belief and one that many news sources seem to be writing about, it is not the whole truth and may not be the actual cause at all. According to NBC News, “the British singer, who died aged 31, had drugs in his system at the time of death including “pink cocaine” (Peart, 2024). It is stated that before his death, the hotel receptionist called the police and said he was “breaking the room” and was making dangerous decisions while he was intoxicated & under the influence. In the article, it is never stated that drugs were the cause of his death at all. While the drugs may have impacted his decision-making process and led him to put himself in the position where he fell and eventually died, the drugs are never named as the actual cause of death. It was later confirmed by the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office, that the actual cause of death was “polytraumatism, internal and external hemorrhage,” from the fall itself. 

Peart, H. (2024, October 22). Liam Payne reportedly had “pink cocaine” in his system at time of death. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/liam-payne-death-one-direction-pink-cocaine-toxicology-report-rcna176532  

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Newbie (320 points)
  1. It was confirmed by multiple sources that Payne was intoxicated on numerous substances at the occurrence of his death. However, the provided article states, "A preliminary autopsy report from the Argentinian Public Prosecutor's Office found that Payne died of "multiple traumas" and "internal and external bleeding.". In addition, a report from the Today show "Forensic experts found a total of 25 injuries "compatible with those produced by a fall from height." The singer's brain and skull (cranioencephalic) injuries, in particular, were "sufficiently suitable to cause death." While these substances may have had a role in Payne's actions before or possibly during his fall, they were not a direct cause of death. 

Can't be true or false (Opinion, poem, etc.)
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by Newbie (300 points)

The claim for this article is that "Liam Payne died because of drugs." Liam Payne died after he "fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 16, sources tell ABC News." Before Payne's death, hotel staff called authorities and asked them to "send someone urgently" due to a guest they said was "drunk with drugs and alcohol." So, after reading this article, I believe that this was a little misleading because the articles made it sound like Payne died because of drugs.

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Newbie (320 points)

Liam Payne was found dead after he fell off the balcony in Buenos Aries, Argentina, although the ABC News article claims that he was found with drugs in his system when he died. ABC News states that those substances that Payne used was "pink cocaine" which is "a recreational drug that typically is a mix of several drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others - as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack". Those drugs were found in his system, but they weren't the overall leading cause of his death; he fell of the balcony. 

NBC News stated that Payne had injuries "compatible with those produced by a fall from height", and that he called a hotel staff member 2 times to call 911, when that person did, he died because he fell off the balcony of the hotel. 

Today News states that Payne fell from his balcony and an autopsy provided that he had injuries to his brain and skull and were "sufficiently suitable to cause of death", doesn't say that drugs and alcohol was his cause of death.

I believe that the claim "Liam Payne died because of drugs" is exaggerated and misleading because from these news websites clearly state that even though he did have drugs in his system, they were not the cause of his death. He died because he fell off the balcony in a hotel in Buenos Aries, Argentina. 

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/liam-payne-partial-autopsy-report-multiple-substances/story?id=114985701

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/liam-payne-death-one-direction-pink-cocaine-toxicology-report-rcna176532

https://www.today.com/health/news/liam-payne-toxicology-report-rcna176462

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Novice (590 points)

The title of your claim is inaccurate. While Liam Payne did have substances in his system at the time of his death, they were not the cause of his death. The article you put as your source doesn't support your claim. As you put in your explanation the article states the cause of the death was due to his injuries from the fall. "A preliminary autopsy report from the Argentinian Public Prosecutor's Office found that Payne died of "multiple traumas" and "internal and external bleeding." Twenty-five injuries were reported on Payne's body. The report stated that Payne's head injuries were sufficient to cause death, and the cause of death was related to the height of his fall." This doesn't mean that the drugs didn't have an influence his death, but they were not the primary cause. Your evidence for your claim debunks your claim title. I believe you should change your claim to be more accurate to Payne’s actual cause of death. 

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/liam-payne-partial-autopsy-report-multiple-substances/story?id=114985701

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by (180 points)
Yes, although Liam Payne had drugs in his system when he died, the title is misleading because it states "Liam Payne died because of drugs." In reality, Payne died from the fall a three story balcony in Argentina. According to the sourced link ABC news, the autopsy showed that he had meth, ketamine, MDMA, and cocaine in his system. There is a common misconception that often happens with articles like this and a slip up in the title is completely misleading for the entire story. Titles often the only thing people read so it is important that the information is clear and direct.
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by Newbie (300 points)

I think that this claim is exaggerated and misleading. Although, Liam Payne did die with drugs in his system he also fell off a balcony in Argentina and then was presumed dead. according too the guardian news page, Payne died with cocaine, and pink cocaine in his system which is highly dangerous. so although he did have drugs in his system and drugs could have been a main factor in his death he did not OD from them, which is what the title and article makes it sound like. he fell off the balcony which caused his death. 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/22/liam-payne-cause-of-death-toxicology-reports-cocaine-methamphetamine

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Novice (620 points)

The claim is that Liam Payne died due to drugs. This claim is misleading. A toxicology report, which was sent to ABC news from their sources, found that Liam Payne had " "pink cocaine" – a recreational drug that typically is a mix of several drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others – as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack." Although Liam Payne did have these drugs in his body at the time of death, these drugs were not the reason why he died. He died from the body trauma from falling from his 3rd floor hotel room balcony. "preliminary autopsy report from the Argentinian Public Prosecutor's Office found that Payne died of "multiple traumas" and "internal and external bleeding." Twenty-five injuries were reported on Payne's body. The report stated that Payne's head injuries were sufficient to cause death and the cause of death was related to the height of his fall." Although there were drugs in his system which may have lead to him falling off the balcony, the drugs in his body alone were not the cause of Liam Payne's death.

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/liam-payne-partial-autopsy-report-multiple-substances/story?id=114985701

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by Newbie (340 points)

The autopsy report was correct, Liam Payne did have large amounts of drugs in his system at the time of his passing.  However, that is not the reason that he passed.  When you look at the full autopsy report he had multiple traumas both internally and externally from his fall off of the balcony of his room.  He was also struggling a lot with mental health, so the drugs are also not the full reason to blame for him falling from the balcony either.  In a different article it reports "Moments before the fatal fall, another guest supposedly overheard the dad of one say, “I used to be in a boy band … that’s why I’m so f—ed up.”"  What happened to Liam Payne was extremely unfortunate, but the drugs are not the reason he passed.

One direction's Liam Payne argued with mystery woman before death

Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Newbie (300 points)

The claim that Liam Payne died from drugs is not true. The title of the article states that Liam had drugs in his system at the time of death and specifically states that Payne fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room. The website ABC News is a high-quality and valid source. The author is a legitimate writer who has written more than one article for ABC News. This is the news that was published earlier this week. Media outlets like the Los Angeles Times and Fox News are reporting on the death of Liam Payne. All outlets have reported that Payne fell from the third floor.  

Exaggerated/ Misleading

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