Fans of Liam Payne have gathered across the world from London to Paris, New York and Stockholm, to pay tribute to the One Direction star.
The 31-year-old plunged 45ft from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina’s capital on Wednesday.
Heartbroken fans came together this afternoon to pay their respects at a vigil at the Peter Pan Statue in Kensington Gardens.
The event is held ‘in memory of Liam’ and to ‘honour his shining spirit and unforgettable impact’.
Bereaved attendees brought flowers, letters, drawings as well as One Direction memorabilia to lay under a picture of the star. Some came in groups and hugged and held each other as they mourned his loss.
In one touching moment, fans sang One Direction’s iconic song ‘What Makes You Beautiful — the band’s lead single from their debut album, ‘Up All Night’.
Photographs showed fans leaving messages including one which read: ‘I will love you forever Liam, thank you for saving me’ and another which said ‘going to miss you, you raised me’.’
It comes after a source close to his family spoke of how he was left in his room on the day he fell to his death.
A large crowd gathers in London, today at the Peter Pan statue, to honour the former One Direction star
A fan holds back her tears as people gather in Kensington Gardens, London, for a vigil held in honour of the former One Direction star
Flowers, pictures, placards and balloons lay next to the Peter Pan statue
A person writing a message for Liam underneath the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens
Fans hugged and held on to each other as they paid their respects to the former One Direction star
People hold balloons and flowers as they gather to honour the 31-year-old who died this week
Large crowds gathered in the Tuilleries Garden, Paris, today as they laid flowers and letters for Liam
People writing messages during a vigil for 31-year-old One Direction singer Liam Payne from Wolverhampton
Two fans huddled under an umbrella as flowers, balloons and pictures were placed at the Peter Pan statue in London
Fans hold a candle-lit vigil to pay tribute to British singer Liam Payne in Bogota on October 18
The memorial began at the Peter Pan Statue in central London at 2pm
Balloons were placed in front of the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens this afternoon as fans gathered for a vigil held in honour of Liam Payne
Fans gathered around the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens this afternoon
Flowers, pictures and balloons were left for Liam in Kensington Gardens today
Yesterday, a heart-breaking vigil was held at Keel Warf Bridge in Liverpool with people pictured laying candles, flowers and cars.
In London, heartbroken fans hugged each other as they created a wall of tributes inside the Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly Circus.
Tributes have flooded in for the popstar from millions of friends and fans of Payne, including the mother of his child Cheryl Cole.
Local police said they had been called to the luxury hotel prior to Liam’s fall after being ‘informed of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol.’
He had reportedly arrived in the Latin American country earlier this month to attend his ex bandmate Niall Horan’s concert.
A source close to Payne said last night: ‘Liam didn’t have to die. Liam didn’t want to die. He had promised us all he would never commit suicide. He was looking forward to the future.
‘If someone had called an ambulance when he collapsed in the hotel lobby instead of taking him back to his room and leaving him in there alone, in a psychotic state, he would still be with us.’
A large crowd gathered around the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens today
A fan laying flowers at the foot of the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens
A fan holds a banner which reads ‘Forever in our hearts’ at a vigil to celebrate Liam’s life at Washington Square Park in New York
People stand in front of flowers and tributes on a bridge in the city centre to remember the former One Direction singer
Tributes left by people during a vigil for 31-year-old singer Liam Payne in Liverpool
Vigils have been held across the world in the days since Payne died. One is pictured in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday
The One Direction star fell from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel (seen)
Payne was initially in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy (right) before she left for the US in the days before he died
Payne’s father Geoff Payne looks at tributes left outside the hotel where the singer died
A woman leaves a tribute to former One Direction band member Liam Payne at the Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly Circus
People look at tributes to former One Direction band member Liam Payne at the Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly Circus
On Wednesday, thousands of fans gathered outside the hotel, while emergency services worked at the scene around a central red tent at the location the star fell.
Some lit candles, some sang One Direction songs and others held each sobbing as they paused to remember Mr Payne who was one fifth of the most popular boy band of the 2010s.
Last night investigators told the MoS the probe into the star’s death ‘is ongoing’.
Payne arrived in Argentina on September 30 with his girlfriend Kate and close friend Roger Nores.
A source close to Payne said: ‘Liam’s US visa was expiring and he had to leave America to renew it so he decided to go to Buenos Aires to see Niall Horan perform and get his new visa.’
- Liam had been ‘re-working’ his favourite One Direction track ‘Fireproof’ on his computer just hours before his death.
- He was in Argentina to renew his US visa and had passed medical and psychological tests days before which proved he was ‘totally clean.’
- He was in ‘good spirits’ and had been planning to fly back home to girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Miami on Friday.
- His final meal was his favourite, chocolate-chip cookies.
Candles left in the shape of a heart for Liam Payne in Liverpool
A source close to Payne has said that he did not commit suicide and could have been saved
Fans consoling each other as they look at memorials to Payne in the Argentine capital
A source close to Payne told the Mail on Sunday: ‘Liam didn’t have to die. Liam didn’t want to die. He had promised us all he would never commit suicide’
After spending last weekend at a polo farm outside Buenos Aires, girlfriend Kate flew back to Miami on Monday to care for the couple’s dog while Payne checked into the CasaSur hotel.
‘He had no money and his credit cards weren’t working, so he was spending all his time in the room.
‘On Tuesday he asked for a McDonald’s. He was happy and in good spirits.
‘The test results all came back totally clean on Tuesday and he had an appointment at the embassy to get his passport stamped with the visa on Thursday and then he was going to leave Argentina immediately.’
The source said a family friend visited him around 10am that morning to deliver his favourite ‘American style’ chocolate-chip cookies from a bakery three blocks from the hotel.
‘He seemed a bit tipsy, like he had been drinking, but wasn’t in a bad state. He was happy.
‘He was replicating Fireproof on his computer. He loved recreating instrumentals and that was his favourite One Direction song. He was redoing the beat. He was in a good place, planning for the future, looking forward to going home to Miami to his girlfriend and his dog.’
Payne rose to fame with band One Direction. He is pictured with bandmates (left-right) Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik
Payne seen performing on stage with Harry Styles in 2015
Funeral arrangements will be made once Payne’s body has been repatriated to the UK, which may take days
Payne’s father Geoff arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday to identify his son’s body. He was accompanied by long-time One Direction bodyguard Paul Higgins.
Funeral arrangements will be made once Payne’s body has been repatriated to the UK, which may take days.
The source added: ‘The narrative so far has been wrong. People have been saying Liam relapsed on drugs and wanted to kill himself because his life was so bad.
‘That wasn’t the case. He was in a good place. He was happy and making plans for the future with Kate who he loved. Someone gave him drugs and those drugs caused a psychotic event.
‘The tragedy is if someone had called an ambulance when he collapsed in the lobby and was convulsing, he would still be alive.’
Additional reporting: Heather Briley, Federico Fahsbender and Daniel Bates
