One Direction

Zayn Malik had a very special guest in attendance at his recent show in Los Angeles ... his ex-One Direction bandmate and former frenemy, Louis Tomlinson.

The "Pillowtalk" singer confirmed Louis' presence at his concert at the Shrine Expo Hall in L.A. Wednesday night, when he shouted out his ex-bandmate ... calling LT's presence at the show "kind of special."

He announced ... "An old friend of mine is here supporting me tonight. He’s sitting somewhere here. I don’t want to give his location away, but Louis is here tonight."

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores -- who was with him in his final chaotic days alive in Buenos Aires -- is suing Liam's father for allegedly smearing him in the media in the weeks after Liam died.

Roger filed the defamation lawsuit Thursday against Geoff Payne for saying Roger was supposed to take care of Liam at the time of his death. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Roger says Geoff submitted a sworn declaration to Buenos Aires police stating Roger had "full responsibility for Liam's care during this last period when I was not there."

But, Roger sternly denies that saying in the lawsuit, he "never agreed to be and was never the caretaker of Liam." He acknowledges they were "dear friends" and supported each other, but says it was never a paid job for him.

Kate Cassidy -- Liam Payne's girlfriend at the time of his tragic death -- is slowly dipping her toe back into vlogging ... 3 months after the One Direction alum's passing.

The influencer, who is best known for posting lifestyle content on social media, uploaded to TikTok on Monday about her "simple day" ... but the tone was noticeably somber as she gave fans a glimpse into her new routine without Liam.

As you can see from the footage, Kate is putting self-care first during these trying times ... undergoing an extensive skincare routine, exercising, baking, playing with dogs, and journaling, among other healing activities.

Liam Payne was advised by his psychiatrist just weeks before his death ... he needed a "higher level of care" than she could provide.

In a letter, filed with the court in Argentina and obtained by TMZ ... the One Direction star's psychiatrist informed the British singer in September she could no longer provide psychiatric care for him.

As the psychiatrist put it ... she decided to stop treating Liam "after careful consideration and assessment," but advised him to continue with a treatment plan -- which included taking medications only as prescribed, avoiding heavy drinking while on medication, weekly therapy, meeting with a primary care doctor, and further testing.

Liam Payne's drug use had him "close to death" on multiple occasions ... long before his fatal fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina ... at least according to his friend, Roger Nores.

In new legal documents from Argentina, obtained by TMZ, Nores recalls Liam's drug issues ... claiming the late One Direction singer had to be revived two times in as many years.

Nores is charged with abandoning Liam before his fatal fall back in October, and he's defending himself against criminal charges here ... by talking about Liam's drug habit.

A waiter prosecutors want to charge in connection with Liam Payne's death admits he used cocaine with the singer ... but insists he didn’t get paid and is NOT a drug dealer.

Braian Paiz told us in our upcoming documentary "TMZ Investigates: Liam Payne: Who's to Blame?" -- airing Monday night at 8 PM ET on FOX — he partied with Liam in the singer’s Buenos Aires Hotel room.

Paiz says they drank whiskey and used the cocaine he brought to the hotel. He says they did it on 2 occasions … the second just 2 days before Liam’s fatal fall from the hotel balcony.

Liam Payne's close friend, now in the crosshairs of Argentinian authorities -- insists when he left the singer at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel an hour before his death, he seemed fine ... But authorities and eyewitnesses say that's anything but true.

Roger Nores appears in our new documentary, "TMZ Investigates: Liam Payne: Who's to Blame?" -- which airs Monday night at 8 PM ET on FOX -- says he was with Liam on and off the day he fell from the hotel balcony to his death.

Nores says, he checked on Liam three times during the day, and when he left an hour before the fatal fall Liam seemed happy and fine, although a little tipsy.

Authorities are reportedly weighing charges against two more people in connection with Liam Payne’s death investigation, according to new legal documents.

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ a judge is considering charges in a new filing Monday against two employees at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, where Liam fell to his death from his third-floor balcony.

The judge referred to both the receptionist who called 911 twice the morning Liam died and the hotel manager as "imputados" or "people charged."

Zayn Malik paid tribute to Liam Payne Friday night, telling the crowd he was hoping his former 1D bandmate would be looking down watching ... "I hope you're seeing this. We're in your hometown tonight, Wolverhampton. This is for you, Liam."

Zayn was performing in Liam's hometown in the UK, when he told the crowd at the University of Wolverhampton ... "I've been doing something, at the end of the show, every night, and it's been dedicated to my brother Liam Payne. Rest in peace."

When Zayn's "Stairway To The Sky" tour fired up last week, the crowd saw on the screen ... "Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro."

Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne left the crowd at his concert a mess ... sharing a powerful message to his deceased One Direction bandmate -- and, the sobs were audible.

The singer-songwriter took the stage in Leeds, England Saturday ... his first show since Liam passed away after falling from his balcony at a hotel in Argentina in mid-October.

While most of the show seems to have been a pretty standard Zayn concert, it ended with a huge blue screen adorned with Liam's name, year of birth and death, followed by "Love You Bro" and a red heart emoji.

Harry Styles and members of One Direction arrived at a London-area church on Wednesday to say their goodbyes to Liam Payne ... just over a month after the singer's death.

The private service is taking place at St. Mary's Church in Amersham -- not far from Wolverhampton, the city near Birmingham where he was born.

Liam's coffin arrived in a horse-drawn carriage carrying floral tributes spelling out "Daddy" and "Son." Another floral display showed a bowling ball crashing through pins ... reportedly a nod to the star's love of the game.

One of Liam Payne’s homes in South Florida, where he was living before his death, is back on the rental market.

Real estate sources tell TMZ, a massive 5-bed, 6-bath mansion in Wellington, FL went back up for rent at the end of October for $9,950 per month. The former 1D star had signed a short-term lease for the property before ultimately moving out in July.

We’re told the place got a refresh with new paint, décor, and more since the original listing pics were taken -- so it's rocking a much fresher, renovated vibe.

Police in Argentina are continuing their investigation into Liam Payne's death ... conducting another round of raids on the homes of 2 hotel employees and a "friend" of the former One Direction singer, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources in Buenos Aires tell TMZ ... officers conducted the raids Tuesday night, while also searching the hotel lockers of the workers and reviewing security footage from the hotel, CasaSur Palermo.

We're told cops believe the workers had contact with Liam before the entertainer plunged to his death from the balcony of his third-floor room into a courtyard on October 16.

Liam Payne had a major TV project in the works before his sudden death last week ... and now the series' fate is unclear, TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ ... producers for "Building the Band" -- a singing competition series set to debut on Netflix -- were "shocked and saddened" to learn of the One Direction alum's unexpected death.

Liam -- along with AJ McLean, Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland -- had already wrapped filming the show ... though, the show's premiere date was never announced.

One small item found in Liam Payne's hotel room is getting a lot of attention from cops investigating his death, because it might unlock the mystery of who helped him score drugs ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources in Buenos Aires tell us ... authorities are now investigating the possibility a hotel employee delivered drugs to Liam, which has them focusing on a Dove soap box found in the room, and seen very clearly in a photograph taken after Liam's deadly fall.

The box was on the same table where cops also found drugs and paraphernalia -- tinfoil used to ingest drugs, as well as white powder.