Liam Payne fans say goodbye to an idol on the streets of Buenos Aires

As the last rays of the sun lit up the facade of the CasaSur Palermo hotel on Wednesday night, the first fans began to arrive. The news spread like wildfire on social media: Liam Payne, former member of the boy band One Direction, died after falling from a third-floor hotel room. The shock was immediate and within hours dozens of fans gathered at the makeshift shrine in front of the spot where the 31-year-old British singer met his tragic end. Buenos Aires, the city that embraced him in life, was now saying goodbye to him in death.

Payne, one of the voices that defined a generation of pop music, had arrived in Argentina to attend former bandmate Niall Horan's concert at the Movistar Arena amid a resurgence of fame following his recent solo music projects. However, no one could have imagined that this trip would be his last goodbye. The fatal fall from his hotel room has left his fans mired in collective grief, which most are trying to process from the sidewalk on Costa Rica Street, where candles, flowers and letters have filled the scene.

A vigil that never ends

“I can't process it. I'm still in shock. It was a fundamental part of my childhood, it meant everything to me,” says 22-year-old Martina, one of the first fans to arrive at the makeshift shrine. With a trembling voice he recalls the moment he first heard the British band: “I was in the car with my dad when I first heard 'What Makes You Beautiful' and from that day I never let them go. From that moment on, their music became an essential part of my life. Each song accompanied me through different stages, from the happy moments to the most difficult moments. It was like they always had the exact words for what I was experiencing,” she continued. “One Direction was much more than a band to me. it was my refuge.”

The area in front of the hotel was transformed into a clearing for Paine's followers. The pain is palpable, but so is the sense of camaraderie. Twenty-five-year-old Felicitas, wearing a Harry Styles shirt, arrived with flowers to pay her respects: “When I found out, I couldn't process it. I felt like the world stopped for a moment. Everything he meant to me crumbled in seconds. The idea that someone so present in my life was no longer here was devastating,” she says, tears streaming down her face. Like her, dozens of young fans gathered to remember the singer's life, singing his songs and sharing anecdotes that connect them to the British artist.

The impact of his death

Payne's sudden death shocked the entertainment world, especially among One Direction fans who had grown up listening to their songs. The group, formed on The X Factor in the UK in 2010, it quickly became a global phenomenon. Their music became the soundtrack to the adolescence of millions of young people worldwide. According to Spotify, One Direction has more than 40 million monthly listeners on the platform, even years after they broke up. Songs like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life” continue to be anthems that define a generation.

Twenty-three-year-old Ludmilla explains it succinctly: “Each song was part of our history, a reflection of what we were living. They helped us to feel understood, to find comfort and above all to connect with each other. It wasn't just a band. it was the thread that united us and accompanied us as we grew up and discovered the world.”

The latest police report revealed disturbing details about the condition of the room where Payne died. According to sources, pills, a nearly empty bottle of whiskey and other substances indicating possible drug abuse were found. Inquiries are ongoing, but these details have added another layer of tragedy to an already painful loss. The exact circumstances of his fall remain a matter of debate, but for the fans gathered at the shrine, the details matter less than the void he left behind.

The vigil on Costa Rica Street continues. TV channels are broadcasting live, but for the young women who remain there, the focus is on remembering the good times and saying goodbye to their idol with the music that brought them together. “I don't know how I'm going to get through it,” says 25-year-old Candela, a Chilean fan who lives in Buenos Aires. With a notebook in hand, she wrote a letter that now rests on the makeshift altar along with flowers and photographs. As the candles burn low and the noise of the city begins to envelop the stage once more, a fan's words echo through the air: “With his absence, he took a part of our existence.”