“Liam, we will miss you”: more than a thousand fans of British singer Liam Payne gathered in London on Sunday, as elsewhere in the world, in tribute to the member of the boy band One Direction who died on Wednesday in Argentina.
KEYSTONE
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 young age of the singer, who died at just 31 when he was relaunching his solo career.
Many are young women, who have come to bring flowers and cards which they leave at the foot of the statue. A silver “L”-shaped balloon and others in the shape of hearts are attached to it.
“One Direction is an important part of all these people’s childhoods (…) We all grew up watching them on X Factor, and after,” says Reena Shah, 27. “We are losing a part of our childhood,” she adds, a bouquet of yellow flowers in her hand.
Next to her Alicia, a 22-year-old student, holds a large sheet of paper on which the portrait of Liam Payne is printed. “It felt really important to come together with other people who understand how we feel,” she says.
IMAGO/Avalon.red
“We will love you forever”
As the gathering grows, the fans present sing along to the songs of One Direction and Liam Payne, broadcast over a sound system.
Some hug each other, crying. They observe a minute of silence around 3:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT), waving their phones in the air with the lights on.
Despite the rain, some 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 of us”, we can for example read.
Death from “multiple trauma”
Liam Payne died on Wednesday after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a context of “consumption of alcohol and narcotics”, 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.
“It’s sickening the way he was described.”
In Buenos Aires, fans continue to parade in front of the CasaSur hotel, opposite the altar dedicated to Payne, 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 garden, and a tribute is planned for Sunday in Birmingham in England, near Wolverhampton where the singer was from.
Since Wednesday, the treatment of Liam Payne’s death by certain media has been strongly criticized by those close to him, such as his ex-partner and mother of his son, Cheryl Cole, who denounced “odious” articles.
“It’s sickening the way he’s been described,” said Shaqualla Hill, 23, a “long-time” One Direction fan in London.
“He had so many problems with his mental health, and so I think he will be happy to know that so many people loved him, that they are there for him,” also thinks Luna Franco, a 20-year-old Italian student living in London.
With tears in her eyes and a bouquet in her hands, the young woman recounts the “shock” when she learned of the death of Liam Payne.
Katie Etchells, 20, and Holly Cook, 19, became friends through their shared passion for One Direction.
“He played such an important role in our childhood, I am so grateful to him” for all these “good memories,” says Katie, wearing a white t-shirt on which is printed a photo of the boy band One Direction.
For Shukhrat Turdikhodjaev, a 21-year-old musician, the crowd on Saturday “proves that he was capable of connecting and unifying so many different people.”
