Liam Payne once claimed he was left scared after an encounter with hip hop moguls Sean’ Diddy Combs and Jay-Z in a video that is resurfacing in light of the singer’s shocking death.
Payne made the comments in a 2017 appearance on The Graham Norton Show. He recalled meeting Diddy at a party and how the rapper lingered on his handshake for an awkward period of time.
“I went to talk to him and Jay-Z and when I shook his hand, he just laughed… (had) the most evil laugh I’ve ever heard. So I’m a little afraid of that man,” said Payne, then 24 years old.
Payne said Diddy held his hand for an awkward period of time in “the longest handshake ever,” leaving him wondering, “When will this end?”
The video sparked wild conspiracy theories Thursday in the wake of Payne’s death and mounting allegations against Diddy, who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in a case that has rocked the music industry.
Liam Payne once claimed he was scared after an encounter with hip hop moguls Sean’ Diddy Combs and Jay-Z.
Payne said Diddy held his hand for an awkward period of time in “the longest handshake ever,” leaving him wondering, “When will this end?”
Diddy is currently awaiting trial in a New York jail on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
The clip resurfaced following news of Payne’s untimely death in Argentina after he fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel and suffered a fractured skull.
Payne, who rose to stardom as a member of the British band One Direction and battled intense global fame while still a teenager, sent shockwaves around the world as Argentine investigators continued their investigation at the scene.
As fans and media bombarded the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, the forensic unit worked inside Thursday collecting evidence.
Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “in complete disarray,” with packets of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, as well as energy supplements and other over-the-counter medications strewn about and “several broken items.”
Payne, right, appears with Salma Hayek and David Williams during the 2017 interview.
Payne also recalled being shoved by one of Jay-Z’s bodyguards after he leaned over to talk to him. Jay-Z and Diddy appear in the photo in 2004.
They added that a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a cell phone were recovered from the internal courtyard of the hotel where Payne’s body was found.
Police said they rushed to the hotel on Wednesday in response to an emergency call shortly after 5 p.m. local time warning of an “aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
In a recording of a 911 call obtained by The Associated Press, a hotel manager can be heard saying that the hotel has “a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol… He’s destroying the entire room and, well, “We need you to send someone, please.” .’
One of Liam Payne’s last selfies in Buenos Aires was captioned: “Beautiful day in Argentina.”
The manager’s voice becomes more anxious as the call continues, noting that the room has a balcony.
Payne was known as the no-nonsense, disheveled one of the quintet that went from a TV talent show to a pop phenomenon with a huge international following of swooning fans.
In recent years he had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism and said in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
