Who is Rogelio Nores, friend of the late Liam Payne of One Direction? The energy tycoon was one of the last people to see the singer – but girlfriend Kate Cassidy was reportedly not a fan of their bond

Nov 5 , 2024

Who is Rogelio “Roger” Nores, friend of the late Liam Payne of One Direction? The energy tycoon was one of the last people to see the singer – but girlfriend Kate Cassidy was reportedly not a fan of their bond. Photos: Invision/AP; @rogernores/Instagram

Nores had been trying to keep Payne off drugs, and was with the pop star in Buenos Aires just hours before his tragic passing, apologising to hotel guests for his friend’s unruly behaviour

The world is still reeling from the tragic loss of One Direction star Liam Payne, and new details have emerged about the day of his passing and his friendships. An exclusive report by Page Six goes into the musician’s close relationship with his friend, Rogelio “Roger” Nores, revealing that the energy tycoon was focused on supporting Payne’s sobriety.

Nores was “really concerned for his well-being” when Payne went to the UK to film Netflix’s Building the Band earlier this year with Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland, per the report. Payne was getting clean from drugs just ahead of filming, according to his friend.

Tributes for the late Liam Payne of One Direction, around the Peter Pan statue at Hyde Park in London. Photo: DPA

Nores was also with the singer in Argentina, just hours before his untimely death. Per the Daily Mail, the 31-year-old was on a “bender” at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, whose staff rang emergency services to report a guest “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol”. Nores was reportedly seen apologising to guests for his friend’s behaviour and told the hotel manager about staffers selling drugs to Payne.

So who is Liam Payne’s friend, Rogelio Nores?

He’s a businessman

Roger Nores: Being A Part Of Something Big Drives Me | Forbes

Rogelio Nores is an Argentinian multimillionaire who made his fortune in the energy industry. According to Forbes, Nores founded his own investment company at just 23 years of age. In 2018, as the CEO of StoneWay Capital, Nores made it onto Forbes’ 30 Under 30 – Energy list. In 2022 his company was later acquired by SCC Power.

How did he become friends with Liam Payne?

Liam Payne on the red carpet at the 2019 Brit Awards. Photo: Getty Images

Nores and Payne first met in 2020 at a house party in London hosted by Edward Enninful, former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, reported Page Six. The duo quickly became close – so much so that earlier this year, the singer moved into a Palm Beach, Florida, mansion belonging to one of Nores’ friends, reportedly to be closer to Nores, who owned an apartment in Miami Beach. Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy was not a fan of his and Nores’ exceptionally close bond, per the source.

Rogelio Nores was rumoured to be dating Liam Payne

Liam Payne and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy in March 2023, in London. Photo: Getty Images

Payne and Nores were pictured holding hands over the summer, and Nores would often join the singer in the recording studio, per Page Six. With fan speculation about a possible romance between the two on the rise, Payne addressed the rumours directly, stating, “There were a lot of things in magazines saying me and Roger are gay together – not true, unfortunately.”

Nores appears to have a girlfriend, and the couple joined Payne and Cassidy at a Niall Horan concert in Buenos Aires in October.