A representative for Liam Payne was charged with manslaughter in connection with the One Direction veteran’s death in October, Argentine officials confirmed Monday.

The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office of Argentina announced in a Spanish-language statement that Judge Laura Graciela Bruniard on Friday prosecuted five people for alleged involvement in the pop singer’s death. Payne’s representative (identified as “R.L.N.”) and the manager and the head of reception of the Buenos Aires hotel where the British singer fell to his death were charged with manslaughter.

Another hotel employee and a waiter whom Payne met in a restaurant were charged with allegedly supplying the singer with narcotics.

Payne, an “X Factor” alum who was one-fifth of the global boy-band sensation One Direction, died Oct. 16 after falling from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. He was 31. Shortly after his death, officials determined the singer died from multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding caused by the fall.

Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he fell, officials announced in November. Prosecution at the time said it was considering ruling out the possibility of suicide.

In Monday’s announcement, the prosecutor’s office detailed the defendants’ alleged roles in Payne’s death. The hotel employee (identified as “E.D.P.”) and waiter (“B.N.P.”) both allegedly supplied Payne with cocaine multiple times during his stay in Buenos Aires. Payne died two weeks after arriving in Argentina, where he attended an Oct. 2 concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan.

According to Monday’s announcement, Payne’s representative “failed to comply with his duties of care, assistance and assistance that he had with respect to” the singer. Prosecutors alleged R.L.N. abandoned the singer despite knowing he was “unable to fend for himself” and having previous knowledge of Payne’s struggles with addiction.

The prosecutor’s office detailed an alleged incident where Payne was carried up to his third-floor room by a group of three people prior to his death. The hotel manager (identified as “G.A.M.”) and the hotel’s head of reception (“E.R.G.”), who allegedly led the group, should have kept Payne “in a safe area without sources of danger, in company and until he could be provided with medical care,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Bruniard, the judge, said Monday that the hotel managers “did not act maliciously” in connection with Payne’s death “but they have been reckless in enabling him to be taken to his room and driven there respectively.”

“They created a legally disapproved risk and Payne’s death is the realization of that risk,” Bruniard said.

R.L.N. is “responsible for the crime of manslaughter … given that he had assumed a position of guarantor toward” Payne’s family, Bruniard added.

Ultimately, Payne’s representative and the hotel managers “have contributed, although not in a planned manner, to creating a risk that resulted in Payne’s death, whether by action or omission,” Monday’s statement said.

The two people charged with supplying Payne drugs before his death were sentenced to pre-trial detention. R.L.N. and the two hotel managers were charged without pretrial detention, according to the prosecutor’s office.

More than a month after Payne’s death, his former bandmates, family and friends gathered for a funeral service in England. Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Horan attended the ceremony northwest of London. Also in attendance were “X Factor” judges Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole (who shares a young son with Payne), and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

Though Payne is best known for his work with One Direction, he also pursued a solo career after the boy band went on hiatus in 2016. As a soloist he released songs “Strip That Down,” “Bedroom Floor” and “Teardrops” and teamed with artists including Quavo, Ed Sheeran and Charlie Puth.

Payne was also open about his struggles with mental health and addiction. In a YouTube vlog shared in 2023, he revealed he was six months sober.

Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.

The upcoming Field & Stream Music Fest has revealed its slate of performers for the Oct. 3-5 event set for Winnsboro, S.C. Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top have top billing at the festival, which is co-produced by Field & Stream alongside key investors Church, Morgan Wallen and Southern Entertainment.

The three-day festival will feature more than 40 artists performing on multiple stages. Alongside the headliners, the fest will feature performances from artists including Shane Smith & The Saints, Kameron Marlowe, Boy Named Banjo, Ashland Craft, David Lee Murphy, Taylor Richardson, Maddie Rean, Whey Jennings, Larry Fleet and more.

One of the key differentiators for this upcoming fest is the number of activities it offers beyond hearing musical sets. The fest offers themed “villages,” such as the Ugly Stik Fish on America Village, which gives fishing tips and casting competitions, while the OnX Hunt Village showcases various outdoor gear and gives expert-led demonstrations. The GameWatch Football Showdown Village delivers a place for sports fans to watch games on massive screen and offers a fully stocked bar and various activities. The fest also offers excursions such as trophy fishing, archery, mountain biking and off-road tours, while the At the Field & Stream Expo will highlight interactive exhibits and showcase new outdoor innovation from top brands.

The 2025 Field & Stream lineup comes after last year’s festival (which was to be its inaugural year) was postponed due to the destruction Hurricane Helene brought to the Carolinas and other states. Last year, Church and Wallen teamed up to acquire the iconic Field & Stream brand. In addition to announcing the music festival, the acquisition also included reviving Field & Stream in print, starting the Field & Stream 1871 Club and more.

Pre-sales for the 2025 Field & Stream Music Fest launch Thursday, Jan. 9, for Field & Stream 1871 Club Members, with tickets on sale to the general public Friday, Jan. 10.

See the full lineup below: