'Drugs don't discriminate': Lamar Odom hopes Liam Payne's death is a wake-up call
Lamar Odom hopes Liam Payne's death is a "wake-up call" for the entertainment industry as it proves that "drugs don't discriminate".
Lamar Odom hopes Liam Payne's death is a "wake-up call" for the entertainment industry.
The 44-year-old former basketball star - who almost died following a 2015 overdose but is now sober and helps other addicts - has spoken out after sources claimed early autopsy reports found the One Direction singer had several drugs in his system when he died after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina last Wednesday (16.10.24) and he's warned that such substances "don't discriminate".
He told TMZ: “I hope this is a wake up call for everyone in the industry. Hollywood, music, sports, that drugs don’t discriminate. Age, race, color, creed. So hopefully this is a wake up call for everyone."
Lamar admitted he had taken all of the drugs Liam was believed to have used, including pink cocaine - a mixture of substances including ketamine, methamphetamine and ecstasy - and crack, and fears the 'Strip That Down' hitmaker may have been hallucinating as a result, as that was what happened to him.
He said: “Drugs could cause you to hallucinate. And if he was in a hallucination state, who knows what would happen."
Asked to describe his experiences with the drugs, he added: "I mean, if you’re hearing voices, it’s hard to escape those voices. So God forbid if those voices tell him to do something that lead to his fate. That would be a shame.”
Shortly before Liam's death, hotel staff had called emergency serviced and asked them to "send someone with urgency" to deal with a guest they alleged was "drunk with drugs and alcohol."
The staff member added: "We need to send someone with urgency because I don't know if the guest's life is in danger because he is in a room with balcony, and we are afraid he could do something that threatens life."
Although authorities arrived just seven minutes later, Liam's body was found in the hotel's inner courtyard and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A preliminary autopsy report noted 25 injuries and ruled the star had died from "multiple traumas" and "internal and external bleeding".
