By Candelaria Grimberg and Will Russell
BUENOS AIRES/WOLVERHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – Argentine fans of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died in a dramatic fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, gathered on Thursday afternoon around the city’s central obelisk monument to remember the troubled boy band icon.
Payne, 31, who shot to global fame with the X Factor boy band, was found dead after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony on Wednesday, triggering an outpouring of fan tributes around the world from Britain to Buenos Aires.
He died of multiple traumas and bleeding, prosecutors said on Thursday, adding an initial search suggested the fall came after substance abuse with alcohol and drugs. His hotel room was found in “total disarray” with furniture smashed.
Outside the hotel where he was staying many fans gathered to hold a vigil overnight and on Thursday morning, leaving flowers and notes, and lighting candles that dripped wax that ran down the pavement as other fans stood close by in tears.
“Liam marked a before and after in my life. You never prepare for a moment like this, you always think that from now until we’re 50 years old they’ll still be there,” said Argentine Jazmin Argañaraz, 23, a One Direction fan since she was 11.
“It is very important that we take a minute to think about what is behind fame.”
Around the world, musicians and fans echoed the sentiment.
The other members of One Direction released a statement saying they were “completely devastated” by the news. Zain Malik, one of the group along with Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, said separately it was like losing a brother.
In the English city of Wolverhampton, where Payne grew up, student Jordan Jackson said the death has “hit the community”.
“He’s a local boy, so. Yeah. I think it’s just a sad day for the community and a sad day for, you know, all fans alike.”
Shanice Samuels, an art merchandise seller in the city, said it was a blow to community and family. Payne had a young son, Bear, with ex-partner Cheryl Cole of Girls Aloud.’
“He’s a dad. He’s a son. He’s a brother. And he means a lot to people and especially our community as well. And it’s just really sad to hear about it,” Samuels said.
In London, 34-year-old stay at home mum Fara Nabi, said she felt part of the One Direction generation and felt his pain.
“I grew up with One Direction and he’s kind of similar to my age and he was also a dad. I’m a mum of two boys,” she said.
“The entire thing’s horrible.”
Poppy Barker, who works in theater in London, said it was a reflection of the pressures of fame. Payne had publicly spoken about his battles with mental health issues and alcohol abuse.
“Fame at such a young age is a very, very difficult thing. And I think that those boys have managed it in different ways,” Barker said. “It’s very, very sad.”
Back at the obelisk in Buenos Aires, Guido Renversade, 24, said the death had come like a “cold shower”.
“We didn’t expect this. One Direction made me who I am. Liam made me who I am,” he said.
“I think that artists who transcend do so because of the quality of their music but also because of their charisma.”
(Reporting by Candelaria Grimberg in Buenos Aires, Will Russell in Wolverhampton and Ben Makori in London; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Sonali Paul)
