Liam Payne, the vocalist who once lit up the musical landscape as part of One Direction but tragically passed away last year after a fatal plunge from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, left behind an estate valued at a staggering £24.3 million, equivalent to $32.3 million. However, it has emerged from British media reports that he had failed to draft a will prior to his demise.
The responsibility of administering Liam's vast wealth and property now falls upon his former partner, Cheryl Tweedy, as reported by both the BBC and The Guardian on Wednesday. Cheryl, who is also the mother of their 8-year-old son and a former Girls Aloud band member, will oversee the estate alongside a seasoned music industry lawyer. Yet, neither Cheryl nor the lawyer has the authority to dispense the fortune, according to the BBC.
Liam, aged 31, met his untimely end in October when he tumbled from a third-floor hotel balcony during his visit to Argentina. A toxicology report subsequently revealed the presence of cocaine, alcohol, and a prescribed antidepressant in his system at the time of his death. The local prosecutors issued a statement posthumously suggesting that it was unlikely a case of suicide, as they believed he fell in a state of unconsciousness.
Following an extensive investigation, Argentine authorities initially charged three individuals with negligent homicide—a friend of Liam's and two hotel employees where he breathed his last. However, these charges were later dropped. Meanwhile, an employee of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel and a local waiter are still facing accusations of furnishing Liam with narcotics in the days preceding his fatal fall. The offense they are charged with could land them in prison for a term ranging from four to 15 years.
