Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, passed away at the age of 31 following a fall from his balcony in Buenos Aires. At least 1,000 fans attended vigils across Britain and beyond, with at least 1,000 gathering in central London to pay tribute.
The event came four days after Payne’s death, prompting an outpouring of grief and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans, and others. Investigators have said that Payne appeared to be going through an episode of substance abuse.
The London memorial at the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park was encouraged to bring “flowers, letters, balloons, pictures,” and the crowd of mainly young people sang One Direction songs and stood in silence for periods.
Musician Shukhrat Turdikhodjaev, 21, said he had gone from “disbelief at first” to shock on hearing Payne’s death and added the turnout showed that the singer “was able to connect and unify so many different people.” Fans were also set to gather later Sunday in Birmingham, near Wolverhampton where Payne was born and raised.
Sunday’s meet-ups mirror gatherings seen across Latin American in recent days. In Buenos Aires, tearful fans have continued to mass in front of the Casa Sur Hotel, where Payne plunged to his death. An altar dedicated to him has been created full of flowers and messages. Meanwhile, Mexico City, the Ecuadorian capital Quito, and various towns and cities in Colombia have seen impromptu ceremonies for Payne.
Anguished reactions have continued to stream in, including from Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, Payne’s former partner and the mother of their seven-year-old boy, who called his death an “earth shattering event.” Payne’s One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik postponed the current US leg of his tour until January, citing “the heartbreaking loss experienced this week.”
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