The star’s ex-partner Cheryl says her son Bear must “face the reality of never seeing his father again,” while Liam Payne’s father has been witnessing tributes outside the hotel where his son passed away.
Payne, 31, passed away on Wednesday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after falling from the balcony of the third-floor hotel room where he was staying.
As Geoff Payne visited the hotel in Argentina, a horde of photographers followed him, causing supporters to yell at the media and try to barricade the building’s entrance to prevent them from getting inside.
Following the loss of his son, Mr. Payne traveled to Buenos Aires; in spite of the family’s wishes for seclusion, the trip from his hotel to the Casa Sur hotel was televised on Argentine television.
Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, who was in a relationship with Liam Payne from 2016 to 2018, has expressed her grief and concern over the “abhorrent” media coverage following his death. Cheryl shared an emotional Instagram post on Saturday, describing Payne as her “best friend” and vowed the family would take care of Bear. She also expressed her concern that her seven-year-old son could access “abhorrent reports and media exploitation” and she cannot protect him from it in the future.
Cheryl urged people to give Payne “the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last.” Geoff Payne paused to read tributes to his son outside the Casa Sur hotel and say thank you to the gathered fans. When he arrived, fans created a barrier between him and the cameras, with some telling the BBC afterwards that they wanted to make sure he had space.
Mr. Payne had earlier visited the morgue in Buenos Aires to officially identify his son, so that arrangements can be made for his body to be flown back to the UK. A federal prosecutor told the BBC that Payne’s body has been “released”, meaning no further tests were being carried out and that identification could take place. An investigation into his death continues. It is not yet known when Payne’s body will be repatriated to the UK.
Fans gathered in Liverpool on Saturday afternoon to hold a vigil to mourn the One Direction singer. Elsewhere, people gathered in the singer’s home city of Wolverhampton for a vigil on Friday evening. Simon Cowell, who put the group together on The X Factor in 2010, paid his own tribute to Payne, saying he is “heartbroken” and feels “empty” following the singer’s death.
Cowell also remembered Payne’s first X Factor audition in 2008, at the age of 14, when Cowell told the budding singer he was not ready and to come back in two years. He later signed One Direction to his label and masterminded their global success before they split in 2016.
Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has also paid tribute to the star, calling her “my angel” and saying she was “at a complete loss”.
Singer Katie Waissel, a contestant alongside One Direction in 2010’s X Factor series, called the music industry “very manipulative, coercive, and deconstructive,” saying “it sucks the soul out of people.” US singer Bruce Springsteen also said the industry puts enormous pressures on young people, adding that they do not have “the inner self yet to be able to protect themselves from a lot of the things that come with success and fame.”
(BBC)
