Liam Payne was seen arguing with woman about money in hotel lobby just hours before his fatal fall: report

Liam Payne was reportedly spotted arguing with an unnamed woman about money in the lobby of his hotel in in Buenos Aires just hours before his tragic death.

Michael Fleischmann, who was staying at the same CasaSur Palermo Hotel as Payne on Wednesday, told local Argentina outlet Buenos Aires Herald that he witnessed the former One Direction member allegedly going “a little wild” and getting into a heated conversation.

“I’ll give you $20,000 just because I can. I have $55 million and I like to help people,” Payne allegedly told the woman repeatedly, per Fleischmann.

Liam Payne, pictured here in August 2024, reportedly argued with a woman about money before he died on Wednesday. / SplashNews.com The former One Direction member was staying at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when he died. liampayne/Instagram

Fleischmann further described the interaction –– which allegedly happened just three hours before Payne’s death –– as “very tense,” noting that the singer “seemed to be causing a disturbance.”

He also claimed Payne seemed “very upset, agitated, a little wild, walking around and pacing, and seemed very energized.”

Fleischmann’s mother, Toni, who was staying at the hotel with her son, also allegedly witnessed the incident, telling the outlet that the unidentified woman allegedly arguing with Payne “looked like she was extremely uncomfortable” and “a little apprehensive.”

“It was just my son, me, Liam Payne, the woman and the staff [in the lobby],” she added. “The manager was trying to politely intervene or calm him down. There was a feeling of anxiety in the area.”

Payne, pictured here in October 2021, allegedly got into a “very tense” argument with an unnamed woman in the hotel lobby. Getty Images for BFI Two guests recalled feeling “shaken” after witnessing Payne’s alleged behavior. Liam Payne/Snapchat

The Fleischmanns alleged that they later got in the same elevator as Payne before they eventually left the hotel and saw the unnamed woman standing outside and talking on the phone.

Toni recalled feeling “shaken” after allegedly witnessing Payne’s “bizarre” behavior. A rep for the singer did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

Meanwhile, another guest who went by the name Rebecca also came forward and alleged that she was one of the last people to speak with Payne and also saw his “disturbing” behavior in the lobby.

Another guest also came forward and claimed to have seen Payne, pictured here in March 2024, acting in a “disturbing” way. GC Images A woman named Rebecca claimed she saw Payne, pictured here in September 2021, just 30 minutes before he died on Wednesday afternoon. PA Images/INSTARimages

“I came into the hotel, and he was waiting by the elevator, and it was so clear he wanted someone to recognize him,” Rebecca, who was staying at the hotel for a friend’s wedding, told the Daily Mail. “There was something a bit desperate about him.”

Rebecca noted that she and her friends were waiting in the lobby as one member of their group was supposed to stay in Payne’s suite after he checked out. However, staffers were “a little on edge,” since it was 4:30 p.m. and Payne still hadn’t checked out.

She recalled standing at the elevator when they saw Payne.

Rebecca claimed Payne’s mood changed after he looked at an email on his phone. “Suddenly he took the computer, shouted, ‘F–k this s–t, mate!'” she alleged. Snapchat

“When the lift came, he suddenly said to us without any prompting, ‘Yes, I’m Liam!’ really drawing it out, and then said, ‘All right, come on, you lot, get in the elevator with me. I love a cuddle,’” she alleged.

Rebecca claimed that the situation took a turn after Payne “opened his emails and saw one which obviously upset him.”

“Suddenly he took the computer, shouted, ‘F–k this s–t, mate!’ and started bashing the computer on the ground,” she alleged.

Payne, pictured here in November 2016, allegedly told Rebecca that he was “f–ked up” from being in One Direction. Alan West/WENN.com Rebecca alleged that Payne was cursing “a lot.” Kieran.Photo / SplashNews.com

Rebecca subsequently approached him and asked if he was “OK,” but he “grunted” and allegedly said, “I used to be in a boy band. That’s why I’m so f–ked up.”

She further claimed, “There was a lot more swearing, and he took the laptop over and went to get back in the lift.”

Rebecca alleged that staffers were “freaking out and watching him really nervously” and saw one of them on the phone with police.

Rebecca took one of the last photos of Payne, pictured here on Oct. 1, before he died. @PAULA_CARIDDI/TWITTER Shortly after seeing him for the last time around 4:30 pm, Rebecca saw police arrive. WireImage

She allegedly saw him walking around the hotel lobby moments before his death and claimed that she was the person who took the haunting last photo of him waiting by the elevators.

“It wasn’t long after that when the police arrived, and initially we thought they were just going to kick him out, but then when the staff started running around like crazy, we suddenly realized the seriousness of what had happened,” Rebecca recalled.

“It was awful, and at first they thought he might have just injured himself, but then we saw the body out in the courtyard, and later they brought him out on a stretcher. It was all so horrible.”

Rebecca called the whole situation “awful.” Richard Young/Shutterstock Payne died after he fell three stories from his hotel room’s balcony on Wednesday. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Shortly after returning to his room on the third floor, Payne fell three floors from his balcony into the courtyard of the hotel and was later pronounced dead. He was 31.

The “Strip That Down” singer died from multiple head traumas that led to internal and external bleeding, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office told Page Six of its preliminary autopsy report Thursday.

Officials have not commented on Payne’s state of mind, nor have they shared whether the fall was intentional or accidental.

A spokesperson later told Page Six that he died from head traumas and internal bleeding. VICTOR AUBRY/SIPA/Shutterstock Payne’s former One Direction bandmates –– Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson –– have all released statements mourning his loss. WireImage

However, Page Six previously confirmed that there were alcohol and drug paraphernalia found in his destroyed room.

Payne’s family has since expressed how “heartbroken” they are over his death. His former bandmates –– Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn malik and Louis Tomlinson –– also all released separate statements, as well as a joint one from their former band.

“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they said in a statement. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”