Days after Liam Payne’s death, his autopsy revealed that multiple drugs were found in his system. One of those drugs is called “pink cocaine” which is growing in popularity in the underground drug world.
Liam Payne died after falling off a third-floor story hotel room balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on October 16, 2024. Alberto Crescenti, Buenos Aires emergency services chief, told La Nación that the One Direction member suffered “serious injuries” that were untreatable once responders arrived at the scene. An autopsy found that Liam Payne had 25 injuries “compatible with those produced by a fall from height” and that his cause of death was “polytraumatism, internal and external hemorrhage,” the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office said.
Related: Look back at Liam Payne’s complicated history with substances
Sources told ABC News that Todo Noticias and other Argentine media outlets reported that a preliminary report found evidence of exposure to “pink cocaine,” cocaine, alongside traces of methamphetamines, ketamine, MDMA, benzodiazepines, and crack cocaine in his system.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, help is available. Call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential support.
What is Pink Cocaine?
Contrary to popular belief, Pink Cocaine does not contain cocaine but is instead a combination of 2-CB, MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine, and caffeine according to the National Capital Poison Center. The drug is usually either ingested in pill form or snorted as a powder but is rarely injected. As for how the drug gets its pink color, it’s usually added with food coloring, and sometimes strawberry or other flavoring.
“This concoction is usually very cheap, which attracts people to use it,” epidemiologist Dr. Linda Cottler told The New York Times. The effects of Pink Cocaine are comparable to MDMA. According to the National Capital Poison Center, the effects of the drug include a sense of openness, sociability, and euphoria. Adverse effects include hallucinations, anxiety, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, low sodium levels, nausea and vomiting, and rarely, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms, and coma. Long term effects include heart problems, increased risk of stroke, behavioral changes, and addiction. Though the drug isn’t as addictive as fentanyl, people are still in risk of addiction to the drug.
Lamar Odom, who is a recovered addict and runs several recovery centers, told TMZ about the effects of the drug. “I’ve done a lot of things. I’m not ashamed, though, because it’s my testimony,” the NBA player said. “Drugs could cause you to hallucinate. And if [Payne] was in a hallucination state, then who knows what would happen. Well, I mean, 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’d be a shame. I’m gonna make sure I say a prayer for his family and everyone that he knows.”
What is benzodiazepine?
Benzodiazepines are depressants that produce sedation and hypnosis, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and reduce seizures, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Brand names prescription drugs like Valium, Xanax, Halcion, Ativan, and Klonopin have benzodiazepine included.
The effects of the drug slow down the central nervous system and may cause sleepiness and relaxed mood. When overdosed, one may encounter extreme drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, decreased reflexes, respiratory depression, coma, and possible death.
