“We will miss you forever.” More than a thousand fans of British singer Liam Payne gathered in London on Sunday, as elsewhere in the world, in tribute to this member of the boy band One Direction, who died on Wednesday in Argentina.
In London, they chose Hyde Park and the esplanade around the statue of Peter Pan – the boy who didn’t want to grow up – an allusion to the age of the singer, who died at just 31, just as he was relaunching his career solo. Many were young women, who came to bring flowers and cards which they placed at the foot of the statue. A silver “L” shaped balloon and others in the shape of hearts were hung there.
“One Direction is an important part of all these people’s childhoods (…) We all grew up watching them on X Factor, and after,” said Reema Shah, 27. “We are losing a part of our childhood,” she added, a bouquet of yellow flowers in her hand. Next to her Alicia, a 22-year-old student, held a large sheet of paper on which the portrait of Liam Payne was printed. “It felt really important to come together with other people who understand how we feel,” she said.
As the gathering grew, the crowd sang along to songs by One Direction and Liam Payne, broadcast over a sound system. Some hugged each other, crying. They observed a minute of silence around 3 p.m. (4 p.m. in France), waving their phones in the air, lights on. Despite the rain, some also wrote messages on large sheets of paper placed on the ground: “Liam, you were so loved”, “We will miss you forever” or “We will love you forever, you saved so many lives”. ‘between us’.
Dozens of people in Paris
Liam Payne died on Wednesday after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a context of “alcohol and drug consumption”, according to the first results of the investigation. In the past, he had expressed his difficulty managing his fame and his problems with alcohol. He died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” and was in a state of “total or partial unconsciousness,” according to the medical report.
VideoDeath of Liam Payne: One Direction fans in tears and shock
In Buenos Aires, fans continue to parade in front of the CasaSur hotel, opposite the altar dedicated to the singer, and visited by his father on Friday. They leave a flower or a message, take a photo, some in tears.
Other rallies took place in many other countries, such as in Mexico City, in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, or in several cities in Colombia. In Paris, dozens of people paid tribute to him in the Tuileries gardens, and a tribute is planned for Sunday in Birmingham, England, near Wolverhampton where the singer was from.
