Liam Payne's legal woes with ex Maya Henry cast shadow before his death

Liam Payne was grappling with legal troubles related to his former fiancée, Maya Henry, in the days leading up to his untimely death at age 31.

According to People, a source familiar with the situation revealed that Payne, who passed away on Wednesday, October 16, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was "extremely overwhelmed" by the ongoing legal issues with Henry, 23.

Last week, the Youtuber issued a cease-and-desist order to the former One Direction member after alleging that he had repeatedly contacted her, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Earlier this month, she also posted an eight-minute video on TikTok, claiming that the Steal My Girl vocalist had "blown up" her phone and bombarded her friends and family with calls and messages.

"It’s always from different phone numbers. I never know where it’s going to come from. He’ll even email me," the Texas-born model claimed. "Not only me, but he’ll blow up my mom’s phone. Is that normal behaviour to you?"

Though she did not name the Perfect crooner directly, Henry referred to the ex in question as someone who "weaponised" One Direction fans, subtly revealing whom she was addressing.

"He says he 'preys on One Direction fans because they will always be loyal to him and they won’t tell on him,'" the authors of the novel Looking Forward added.

Additionally, Payne and Henry were reportedly engaged before ending their relationship in 2022.