'I cannot believe he is gone': Fans, performers pay tribute to British singer Liam Payne
CBC
Fellow performers, fans and others were paying tribute to singer Liam Payne on Thursday, hours after the former One Direction member's shocking death at an Argentinian hotel.
Police in Argentina said they are investigating the circumstances of his death at the CasaSur in Buenos Aires, where the 31-year-old Payne was found dead in a courtyard below a third-floor hotel room.
Britain's Foreign Office said it was in contact with the "local authorities regarding reports of the death of a British man in Argentina."
The day had, apparently, started innocently enough, with Payne posting on Snapchat about his trip in Argentina, talking about riding horses, playing polo, and looking forward to returning home to see his dog.
"It's a lovely day here in Argentina," he said in the video.
Less than 24 hours later, friends and fans were grieving.
One Direction fan Micaela Ibertis told Reuters at a vigil outside the hotel: "I feel like it's like a dream, like I'm going to sleep now and tomorrow it's all going to be a lie ... I think it's going to take me a while to accept all this, it's very complicated."
Violeta Antier said she had come straight away after being told Payne had died. She had seen him recently at a Niall Horan concert. "He was there, I saw him," she said. "He was OK."
One Direction found global success after the band was formed on the British version of Simon Cowell's The X Factor talent show in 2010, bringing together Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
"We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne," a statement on The X Factor Instagram page said on Thursday. "He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world."
Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, who collaborated with Payne on one of his early X Factor appearances, said he was "shocked and saddened" to hear of Payne's death.
"It was a pleasure to work with him on our X Factor performance. God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones," said Wood on Instagram.
They enjoyed more than 29 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 with six in the top 10, including What Makes You Beautiful, Story of My Life and Live While We're Young.
Payne's co-writing credits include Story of My Life and Night Changes.
