One Direction fans gathered in London’s Hyde Park today (October 20) to hold a vigil for Liam Payne.
Hundreds of people stood in silence to remember Payne at the park’s Peter Pan statue with many laying letters, pictures and flowers.
They also sang a host of One Direction songs, including the chart-topping hit ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.
In Paris, a crowd also gathered and flowers and candles were laid at the Tuilerie Gardens beneath a framed photo of the singer this afternoon, reports BBC News.
It comes after a vigil was also held in Liverpool yesterday (October 19) and Wolverhampton on Friday (October 18).
Payne passed away at the age of 31 last Wednesday (October 16) after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentinian prosecutor’s office revealed that Payne’s cause of death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding.
Liam Payne fans sing “What Makes You Beautiful” at a memorial for the late One Direction member in London’s Hyde Park. pic.twitter.com/TY0qWSr2Ws
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2024
One Direction’s surviving members Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles shared a joint statement on Payne’s death, where they expressed their devastation, and said they would need time “to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”
Since his death, figures from across the music industry have spoken out about the impact fame has on young stars. Payne was 14 when he first auditioned for the X Factor, and 16 when he became a member of One Direction during the show’s 10th season.
Robbie Williams was among those paying tribute, saying Payne’s “trials and tribulations were very similar to mine” as a former boyband member. The ex-Take That frontman has previously opened up about his history of self-harm and depression and encouraged people to be more “careful” about the comments they make towards those in the public eye.
Songwriter Guy Chambers is now calling on the music industry to stop putting minors in boybands following Payne’s death.
Since Payne’s tragic death, his former band’s music has been climbing streaming charts as fans reminisce on the songs that launched his career. On October 17, their music received 57.5 million streams worldwide – marking the biggest figures they’ve achieved on streaming platforms to date.
The boyband is now the Number One artist on UK Spotify and the Number Two artist globally, coming in just behind Taylor Swift, according to Forbes.
