Bizarre conspiracy theories suggesting a link between Liam Payne’s death and his “gruesome” encounter with embattled hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs have emerged just hours after the 31-year-old singer fatally fell on Wednesday.
Footage resurfaced from a 2017 appearance on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show shows the One Direction star recalling how the rapper had “the most evil laugh” and lingered uncomfortably when he shook his hand.
Much to the amusement of fellow show guests David Walliams and Salma Hayek, Payne, who met Jay-Z at the same celebrity party, said: “I walked up and thought, who’s the easy target in this scenario? Who are you going to say hi to, and I thought, ‘I saw him (Diddy) in Getting To The Greek, I’m going to go there and say hello.’
When he approached him and shook his hand, Payne remembers that Diddy had an “evil laugh” and gave him “the longest handshake ever.”
“I sat there looking at P. Diddy in the eyes and thinking, when is this going to end?” said.
Bizarre conspiracy theories suggesting a link between Liam Payne’s death and his “gruesome” encounter with hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs have emerged hours after the 31-year-old singer fatally fell on Wednesday.
Payne, right, appears with Salma Hayek and David Williams during the interview on The Graham Norton Show in 2017.
Payne remembers that Diddy had an “evil laugh” and gave him “the longest handshake ever” when he met the hip hop mogul at a celebrity party.
Payne also recalled meeting Jay-Z (pictured with Combs) at the “awkward” meeting.
Payne continued: “Then the worst happened. There was a whole thing with Jay-Z and I went to go over to talk to him, but you can’t go near Jay-Z, you’re not allowed to go near him.
‘His bodyguard pushed me like that and I went flying across the room. I thought, sure, I’m going to sit here with Ellie Goulding.
“It was a very awkward moment.”
Now, in the wake of the pop star’s death, social media sleuths have suggested this encounter could have greater significance as Diddy awaits trial on sex trafficking and extortion charges in a case that has shaken the music industry.
Payne tragically fell 45 feet from the third floor into the courtyard of the Hotel Casa Sur in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
Detectives confirmed that a series of substances ‘indicating a previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption’ were seized in the hotel room and continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Argentina’s prosecutors said Thursday they are considering whether Payne may have been “semi-conscious or completely unconscious” when the incident occurred.
Payne tragically fell 45 feet from the third floor into the courtyard of the Hotel Casa Sur in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
One of Payne’s last selfies in Buenos Aires was captioned: “Beautiful day in Argentina.”
Last night, thousands of fans gathered outside the hotel where Liam Payne died.
As investigators continue to look into what happened, some social media users have come up with outlandish theories that the singer’s death and his previous encounter with Diddy are related.
One wrote: ‘Liam Payne was considerably put off when he met Diddy for the first time. Liam is now dead.
‘I don’t think it’s a coincidence. Just putting that out there…’
Another shared a clip of Payne’s appearance on the show and said: “Liam talking about P. Diddy, they soon shut him down.”
A third wrote: “Isn’t it funny how this video was circulating online last week and now it’s dead?”
Other users suggested, without providing evidence for their claims, that Payne would have been called as a witness in Diddy’s upcoming trial.
A preliminary report into the pop star’s death said “every indication” is that Payne was alone when he died.
The prosecution said that forensic reports showed that no injuries were observed that suggest the involvement of third parties and that the autopsy is compatible with a fall from a height.
However, authorities are still launching an investigation into the “possible involvement of third parties” in the events that occurred before his death.
It comes as police investigating the sudden death of One Direction star Liam Payne are searching for two “key witnesses” who could be among the last people to see him alive.
The 31-year-old singer died instantly after suffering multiple injuries that caused “internal and external hemorrhages” when he fell from a third-floor balcony on Wednesday.
Argentine investigators are now searching for two women who spent time with Payne at the Casa Sur hotel the night before his shocking death.
Both women are said to have left the hotel yesterday after waiting for the star in the lobby, reports Argentine outlet Infobae.
There is no indication the women may be involved in his death, but police hope to help piece together Payne’s final moments before he fell to his death around 5pm local time.
Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, had returned to Florida four days before his death and told her followers she “just needed to get home” after her planned “five-day trip” was extended to two weeks.
As more details emerge from the hours before Payne’s death, a hotel guest who was staying at the same hotel as Payne recalled hearing “violent noises.”
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Doug Jones told the BBC: “I thought they were working on the room.” There was a lot of noise, like heavy lifting, like banging, a lot of loud, violent noises, I thought.
‘And I saw people from the hotel going in and out of that room, so I thought they were working in the room.
Liam Payne (pictured in Argentina) may have been “semi-conscious or completely unconscious” when he fatally fell from a hotel’s third-floor balcony, Argentina’s prosecutors said.
The hotel balcony from which Liam Payne fell to his death yesterday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is surrounded by a circle.
The first images of Liam Payne’s destroyed hotel room in Buenos Aires have been published by the Argentine press showing a smashed television screen
Photos of the luxury suite show pieces of aluminum foil scattered on the desk and traces of white powder.
A burnt candle and more aluminum foil were found in a bathtub in the suite.
“Then around 4pm, 4:30pm I started hearing more noise, I was still working and I heard a very loud, violent scream around 4:45pm, 5pm.”
He then realized something was wrong when he saw that “the whole road was full of police.”
Police were called to the hotel around 5pm following reports of “an aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol”, but when they arrived they heard a loud noise in the interior courtyard. Payne died instantly from multiple injuries, including a skull fracture.
Detectives reportedly confiscated a bottle of whiskey, a lighter, a phone and a notebook from the singer’s suite, local media report.
It comes after Argentine media, including major newspapers, published worrying images believed to have been taken from Payne’s suite showing white dust, burnt aluminum foil and a shattered television screen.
Police said they also found the pop star’s medications, including clonazepam, a medication used to control epilepsy, involuntary muscle spasms and panic disorders, inside her hotel room.
His tragic death comes as Combs awaits trial on multiple charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs pleads not guilty to multiple charges of sex trafficking and extortion
On Monday, six new lawsuits followed a dozen other complaints filed over the past year alleging Combs subjected people to sexual abuse throughout his career, including horrific accusations made by his ex-girlfriend Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura in November past.
This was quickly followed by several more accusers coming forward and a criminal investigation that led to Combs’ indictment by a grand jury last month.
One report described Combs as violent toward women for decades and has used his power in the entertainment industry to silence his victims.
Many have compared him to the Jeffrey Epstein of music.
Former friends, acquaintances, employees, Bad Boy artists and industry insiders told Rolling Stone that Diddy is a menacing figure who uses his celebrity-adored public persona to hide a pattern of sexual abuse and violence.
According to the report, Diddy’s history of sexual abuse dates back to before his music career began, and women who knew him at Howard University said he was showing signs of an abusive personality even then.
Combs’ lawyer said: ‘Mr. Combs and his legal team have complete confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process.
“In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone, whether adult or minor, male or female.”
Last week, Diddy’s trial date was set for May 5 after he pleaded not guilty.