LIAM Payne got a huge tattoo across his chest following stints in rehab and hospital months before his tragic death.
The One Direction star, 31, fell to his death yesterday from the third floor of a luxury hotel in Argentina.
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A 911 call from the hotel manager in the minutes leading up to the tragedy claimed the singer had been drinking and using drugs.
Medics rushed to the building in the suburb of Palermo, but Liam was pronounced dead at the scene, with emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti revealing the star suffered a fractured skull among other injuries.
In recent years Liam had battled personal issues and his ex-fiancée Maya Henry recently claimed he would often ruminate on death.
Liam had appeared in high spirits prior to his death as he spent quality time with his model girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
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He even spent time outside his hotel with fans earlier in the week, comparing tattoos and signing autographs.
However, things appeared to take a dark turn once Kate returned back to the US days ago after growing fed up of being in the same place for two weeks.
Last December, Liam hinted at how bleak things had got in his life with his new tattoo, which read: “Where dark meets light.”
He got the body art to remind him that a glimmer of hope can always be found in all of his struggles.
Tattooist to the stars, Certified Letter Boy, who has inked celebs including Cruz and Romeo Beckham, explained: “It reflects Liam’s journey and the universal truth that in our darkest moments, there’s always a way back.”
The ink was applied at the same time Liam was working on his second studio album, which we recently revealed had been shelved.
Liam said of the music: “Lyrically it’s about the relationship I am in at the moment.
“It has been tough at times and great at others, and also my relationship with myself and what I found out about myself when I went to rehab and all those things.”
Last July, Liam revealed he had secretly spent 100 days in a wellness clinic after struggling to cope with life after One Direction.
The following month, The Sun told how Liam was forced to axe his planned South American tour after falling ill with a kidney infection.
Less than four weeks later he was rushed to hospital while recuperating in Italy, where he remained for a week.
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He told fans at the time: “I’ve been travelling a lot as some of you might have seen and I’m feeling in a much better state health wise. I’ve really needed the break.”
Liam’s debut album LP1 was released four years ago but only peaked at No17 and he later said he had struggled to find his own sound for the project, particularly while his old bandmate Harry Styles’ career flourished.
Speaking in 2021, he said: “Harry had the song off the first album that did really well, and then on the second album he found himself, and that is your awakening as an artist, that’s when it really clicks.
“I don’t feel like I’ve had that moment within me yet.
“I think I got so used to carting around other people’s songs and not embedding myself creatively in what I do, because I was scared to find out who I was.”
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