Music

As the last rays of sunlight illuminated the facade of CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Wednesday night, the first fans began to arrive. News spread like wildfire on social media: Liam Payne, former member of the boy band One Direction, had died after falling from a third-floor hotel room. The shock was immediate, and within hours, dozens of followers gathered at the makeshift shrine in front of the place where the 31-year-old British singer met his tragic end. Buenos Aires, the city that embraced him in life, was now bidding him farewell 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 musical projects. However, no one could have imagined that this trip would become his final goodbye. The fateful fall from his hotel room left his followers engulfed 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.

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A vigil that never ends

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

The area in front of the hotel transformed into a space of catharsis for Payne’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 tribute: “When I found out, I couldn’t process it. I felt like the world stopped for a moment. Everything he had 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.

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The Impact of His Death

Payne’s sudden death shook 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 U.K. in 2010, 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 their breakup. Songs like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life” continue to be anthems defining a generation.

Twenty-three-year-old Ludmilla explains it succinctly: “Every song was part of our story, a reflection of what we were living. They helped us feel understood, find comfort, and above all, connect with each other. They were not just a band; they were the thread that united us and accompanied us as we grew and discovered the world.”

The latest police report revealed disturbing details about the state of the room where Payne died. According to sources, pills, a nearly empty whiskey bottle, and other substances suggesting possible drug abuse were found. Investigations are ongoing, but these details have added another layer of tragedy to an already painful loss. The exact circumstances of his fall remain a subject 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. Television channels broadcast live, but for the young women who remain there, the focus is on remembering the good times and bidding farewell to their idol with the music that united them. “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this,” says 25-year-old Candela, a Chilean fan living in Buenos Aires. With a notebook in hand, she wrote a letter now resting at the makeshift altar alongside flowers and photos. As the candles burn low and the noise of the city begins to envelop the scene once again, the words of one fan resonate in the air: “With his absence, he took a part of our existence.”

Billboard Argentina