Former One Direction singer, LIAM PAYNE, smashed up his laptop after receiving mystery email before plunging to his death from hotel balcony

Monday, October 22, 2024 - British singer, Liam Payne received an email that caused him to fly into a rage and smash his laptop just minutes before he died, one of the last women who saw alive has claimed.

The tragic One Direction star opened the email and shouted 'f*** this s**t mate!' and broke his laptop, a young woman told MailOnline.

She was staying at at the same hotel as Liam, the Casa Sur hotel in Palermo, when she had what she called a ‘disturbing’ run-in with the One Direction star just minutes before he fell to his death from his balcony on the third floor.

In her account, the lady said she had seen the pop star lying on sofa in the lobby reading through his emails, before becoming visibly upset and declaring: ‘I used to be in a boy band - that’s why I am so f***ed up’.

‘He opened his emails and saw one which obviously upset him,’ Rebecca, 28, exclusively told MailOnline. ‘Suddenly he took the computer, shouted “f**k this s**t mate!” and started bashing the computer on the ground.’

Less than half an hour later, ambulances and police had arrived, after the star had plunged 45ft from a balcony on the hotel's courtyard.

It is unknown at present who had sent the email or what its contents were, however, it came amid a tough period for the popstar.

A mobile and laptop from his hotel room have been seized by police who are to  analyse the devices for clues.

Just two weeks ago, he was dropped by his record label Universal Music, putting an end to his plans for a second solo album.

And on Monday, his ex-finance Maya James, who claimed the star had ‘predicted he would die early’, started legal proceedings against Payne, accusing him of obsessively contacting her and 'weaponising' his fans against her.

It came after the 23-year-old Texan model had already served the singer cease and desist papers last week after accusing him of repeatedly contacting her and her family.

Rebecca, an IT consultant from Washington DC, took haunting photographs of Payne in the lobby shortly before the terrible incident.

She said his bizarre behaviour and its horrific aftermath had left her 'shaken'.

The 28-year-old had a surprise 30-minute-long encounter with Payne took place in the foyer of the hotel, where she was staying for a wedding.

Payne had been due to check out on Wednesday morning, but still had not done so by late afternoon, she claimed.

Rebecca took her photos from 4.26pm local time (8.26pm UK time) - which is also when Payne made the 'boy band' comment. Just 36 minutes later, hotel staff raised the alarm at 5.04pm following Payne's fall. An ambulance arrived at 5.11pm and Payne was then certified dead.

She told MailOnline in an exclusive interview: 'One of my friends was due to get his suite, so the hotel staff were a little on edge because he still hadn't checked out at 4.30pm, but also because of his behaviour.

'I came into the hotel, and he was waiting by the elevator, and it was so clear he wanted someone to recognise him, there was something a bit desperate about him.

'I was with my friends and we did know who he was, but none of us were that bothered.

'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'.

'I decided against it and waited for the next one, but some of the other girls got in with him and half way up, he started saying 'Oh, you're Americans, I live in West Palm Beach.

'I know Americans. You guys are f***ing crazy! You guys are f***ing dangerous!

‘And then he grabs a girl who I think was with him and starts fake choking her, only lightly, but the others thought it was really disturbing.’

Rebecca said she returned to the lobby ten minutes later and shortly afterwards, Payne arrived back, dangling his open laptop nonchalantly from one corner.

He then began reading emails after flopping onto a sofa, wearing a white vest, cargo pants and trainers.

'I have a blind relative and I realised he had the laptop on its accessibility setting, for some reason, so that each time he moved the mouse, hovering over something the machine spoke out loud to say where the cursor was,' said Rebecca.

'I assumed he was doing that for the attention too. Then he 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.

Everyone, especially the staff was really shocked. It's a high-end hotel and his behaviour was so out of place - people were just chilling.

'I went over, asked 'are you OK?' But he just kind of grunted. Then he said 'I used to be in a boyband. That's why I'm so f**ked up.'

'I couldn't believe he'd just come out and said something like that. There was a lot more swearing and he took the laptop over and went to get back in the lift.

'After he'd gone, the British guy from his entourage, who I think was called Roger, came over and apologised on his behalf, saying 'I'm sorry, he just gets so high sometimes'.

'I did wonder what these people with him were doing to help him, but maybe they had tried and failed. The hotel staff were freaking out and watching him really nervously. I could see one of them was on the phone to what I assumed was security or the police.

'I've never taken cocaine, but he was behaving exactly as I'd imagine someone would on the drug – he wasn't focusing, and his pupils were dilated, and he was behaving in aggressive way – though not to anyone in particular.'

Rebecca couldn't figure out why Payne was hanging around the lobby but wondered whether he was planning to meet someone to resupply his drugs.

Then after a few minutes, he returned to the lobby, she recalled.

Rebecca said: 'He walked in again and just tripped and fell flat on his face, sprawling across the floor. The staff came to help him and get him back in the elevator, and that's when I took the last photo.

'You can just see the arm of the English guy who was with him, holding the lift door open before taking them up to the third floor again.

'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 realised the seriousness of what had happened.

‘Some of my friends had seen him falling, 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 said that after the horrific experience, she spent Wednesday night with friends away from the hotel, partly because of what had happened, but also the noise of teenage fans outside in the street singing and crying.

She added: 'They were playing his music all night and someone actually brought along a Ouija board to try and communicate with Liam, it was crazy.'

Payne, who rose to fame with One Direction on The X Factor, died after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel on Wednesday.

He died of multiple traumas and 'internal and external haemorrhage', a post-mortem examination report said.

Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No 16 said it was investigating the incident as an 'inconclusive death' following the report.

Payne's family said they were 'heartbroken', adding: 'Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.'

A joint statement from his One Direction bandmates said they were 'completely devastated' and will miss the singer 'terribly', adding the 'memories we shared with him will be treasured forever'.