One Direction fans who attended a vigil in Argentina to mourn the death of former band member Liam Payne have spoken of their shock and grief. The singer died aged 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony and into the courtyard of the CasaSur Hotel in the Palermo area of Buenos Aires, before medics confirmed his death.
Fans in the Argentinian capital gathered outside the hotel to light candles and lay flowers to pay tribute to the music star. Valentina Gonzalez Sandoval, 20, from Buenos Aires, who became a fan of One Direction in 2012, at the age of eight, said she could not stop crying at the vigil.
“Being there felt really hard, I couldn’t stop crying when Liam’s body was taken out of the hotel,” the psychology student told the PA news agency. It was at that moment that I realised, as I was watching the vehicle leaving, that he was really gone. Liam meant so much to me, I can’t believe it yet.”
Ms Gonzalez Sandoval said the band had a huge impact on her, helping her cope with her parents’ divorce and even prompting her to learn English. “Their songs meant so much to me because I really felt and identified with lots of their lyrics,” she said.
“When I was 10, my parents split and 1D was the only thing that could calm me down and make that terrible moment easier.
“It’s been 12 years of pure happiness, admiration, laughter and so much more. It is thanks to them that I started taking English classes.”
Pictures showed shocked fans gathering outside the hotel after police cordoned off the area, with forensic investigators in white protective suits and blue gloves seen entering and leaving. Siobhan Brier Aguilar, an American living in Buenos Aires, was at a friend’s party a few streets away from the hotel when she heard the news.
“Because I was already so close, I walked over. There were about 30 people seated on the ground and another 50 or so standing,” the 29-year-old told PA. “They had lit candles and were singing Walking In The Wind by One Direction seated on the street. A few people were crying and there were news anchors and reporters standing around as well.
“The mood around the hotel was reverent and calm, but there were also a lot of people who were just there out of curiosity, looking on, and buses were still coming by. There were also many police and police lights.”
One Direction formed in 2010, with Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles after they individually auditioned for The X Factor. After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid, Familiar and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.