Lamar Odom recently opened up about his own experience with drugs, reflecting on the substances found in Liam Payne’s system and suggested that they may have played a role in the One Direction singer’s tragic fall.
“I’ve heard voices before,” Odom shared with TMZ on Monday.
The former NBA star, who nearly died after a drug overdose in a Las Vegas brothel in 2015, continued, “If you’re hearing voices, then it’s hard to escape those voices. So God forbid if those voices told him to do something that led to his fate, that would be a real shame.”
Payne’s toxicology report, released earlier this week, revealed the presence of several substances in his system at the time of his death, including pink cocaine, crack, and benzodiazepine—a class of depressants.
Photos from the hotel room where Payne had been staying showed evidence that the “Night Changes” singer also had clonazepam in his possession, a medication used to treat epilepsy, involuntary muscle spasms and panic disorders. Witnesses at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, where Payne was a guest before his fatal fall, described his behavior as erratic in the hours leading up to the incident.
One guest even recalled seeing Payne, known for hits like “Strip That Down,” smashing his laptop in the hotel lobby after receiving an upsetting email.
In a distressing 911 call, the hotel manager informed dispatchers that a male guest appeared to be “high and drunk,” and expressed concern that the individual’s life might be in danger, especially given the room’s balcony.
Odom, a recovering drug addict, was asked about his experience with crack and pink cocaine—both of which were found in Payne’s system.
Pink cocaine is a dangerous mixture of drugs such as methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstasy. Odom noted that crack, in particular, left him feeling paranoid, a state of mind he said can “really drive you up a wall.”
Payne’s death remains under investigation.
Last week, a source told People that authorities suspect the singer may have obtained the drugs from a hotel employee. However, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office in Argentina released a statement earlier this month suggesting Payne was alone when he fell and that forensic experts found “no defensive injuries.”
The prosecutor’s office also stated that the “Story of My Life” singer was likely unconscious during his fall from the third-floor balcony, based on the position of his body and the injuries sustained.
The official cause of death was determined to be multiple traumas, along with internal and external bleeding from the fall.
Odom, who currently runs three treatment centers, told TMZ he is praying for Payne’s family and hopes that the singer’s death serves as a “wake-up call” for the entertainment industry.
Reflecting on the tragic incident, the former basketball star, 44, concluded, “It could have been fentanyl … like who knows? Who wants to get high? I call it getting low.”
