Liam Payne's father arrives in Buenos Aires days after the pop star's fatal hotel plunge
The father of former One Direction star Liam Payne has arrived in Buenos Aires to arrange for the return of his son’s body to England days after the famous boy band singer fell to his death from a hotel balcony
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The father of former One Direction star Liam Payne arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday to arrange for the return of his son's body to England two days after the famous boy band singer fell to his death from a hotel balcony.
After landing at the Buenos Aires International Airport in the early morning hours, Geoff Payne was photographed emerging in a blue suit from a downtown hotel accompanied by British consular officials. He was hustled by security officers into a sleek van with black-tinted windows.
Payne visited the Buenos Aires morgue to identify his son's body before heading to the local prosecutor's office, which is investigating the case as a matter of protocol, to organize the repatriation of his son's remains, Argentine authorities said. He later stopped at the Casa Sur Hotel where Payne died to collect his son's belongings, where throngs of distraught Argentines had gathered for the third straight day to pay their respects.
A chain of young fans with linked arms maintained effective crowd control as Payne squeezed past the flowers, photos and hand-written cards piled outside the hotel in tribute to his son. He paused at the makeshift memorial, leaning down to pick up a photo of Liam before thanking everyone and disappearing into the hotel.
