A SUSPECT under investigation in connection with Liam Payne’s tragic death has claimed the One Direction star gave him a glimpse of his new music.
Argentinian waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz, identified by authorities as a possible drug supplier to the singer, admitted to two hotel meet-ups with Liam in Buenos Aires, where he alleges they took drugs together.
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Speaking on Argentinian TV, Paiz claimed Liam shared unreleased music with him during one of their alleged hotel meetings.
“We got together there, and he showed me some of the music he was going to bring out,” Paiz said during the interview, which included a photo of the two men together.
In the selfie, the One Direction star is seen wearing a white top and a baseball cap.
The claim has sparked speculation about whether this music might include Liam Payne’s posthumous single Do No Wrong, a duet with musician Sam Pounds.
The song had been slated for release on November 1 but was postponed following Liam’s tragic death.
Pounds explained the delay, stating it was not the right time and pledging to allow Liam’s family to decide on the track’s future release, with proceeds to go to charity.
Fans of Payne, devastated by his sudden loss, have thanked Pounds for postponing the release of Do No Wrong.
“There will be a right time for it in the future, but for now we mourn,” one wrote online.
The Argentinian waiter, 24, claimed he first met Liam at a Puerto Madero restaurant where he dined with girlfriend Kate Cassidy and two others.
The pair allegedly exchanged contact information via a “secret” Instagram account used by Liam.
Their first hotel meeting followed on October 2, with a second encounter on the night of October 13 at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, just days before Payne’s fatal fall from the third floor on October 16.
While Paiz admitted to using drugs with Payne, he firmly denied supplying them.
“We took drugs together, but I never took drugs to him or accepted any money,” he said.
The Argentinian added that Payne had offered him money and clothing during their encounters, but he declined both.
Paiz also claimed to have introduced Payne to a friend who was a fan of the singer.
Paiz said his former home was searched as part of the ongoing investigation but that he has not yet been questioned by authorities.
He stated he is unfamiliar with the two other individuals being investigated in the case.
The waiter has reportedly lost his job due to his alleged connection to Payne’s death, becoming the second person close to the late singer to speak publicly about the circumstances surrounding his passing.
Three people have been charged in connection with Liam’s death including a hotel worker and a suspected drug dealer.
A post-mortem concluded Liam’s death was caused by “multiple trauma” and “internal and external haemorrhage” after the fall.
Prosecutors said there was nothing to indicate any third party was involved in the death.
They also ruled out “self-harm”, according to a forensic psychiatric report.
This comes after the singer’s body was returned home earlier this week.
The star’s dad Geoff was also on the flight into Heathrow — with the body then transferred to Liam’s home town of Wolverhampton.
His funeral has been arranged and is expected to take place in the West Midlands city within ten days.
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