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    Hundreds of heartbroken fans honor Liam Payne during candlelit vigil in Washington Square Park

    By Marie Pohl, Anna Young,

    1 days ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1gGgHc_0wEDEdvT00

    Hundreds of heartbroken fans gathered in Washington Square Park Saturday night for a mass vigil to honor and remember singer Liam Payne – three days after the former boy bander tragically fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

    Nearly 400 mourning fans comforted each other and sang along to Payne’s beloved music blasting over a boombox as they surrounded the arch at the New York City park to celebrate the life of the 31-year-old former One Direction star in a candlelit tribute.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0nr9ax_0wEDEdvT00
    Hundreds of fans gathered during a vigil to celebrate Liam Payne’s life at Washington Square Park. William Miller

    “I feel like I lost someone I knew,” Kailey Boslo, 19, told The Post as she arrived at the vigil with a poster she made to include in the memorial.

    Boslo said she was introduced to Payne when she was 10-year-olds after he appeared on The X Factor, and continued to adore his career, along with the other former members of One Direction.

    “I feel like we grew up together.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2HT8mO_0wEDEdvT00
    Attendees made posters to pay tribute to the fallen singer. Marie Pohl

    One Direction fans honor Liam Payne with tattoos tribute after his death: ‘The saddest way possible’

    Ivanna Portilla, 25, and her sister Phoebe Portilla, 23, sat together near a fence with a photo of Payne, a white rose and a candle laid out on the ground.

    “He impacted so many people’s lives,” the elder sister said.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3cmaks_0wEDEdvT00
    Fans remembered the impact Liam Payne had on their lives at the vigil. William Miller

    “Liam’s infectious personality has always made me happy. I used to sit in my room in high school and in middle school and spend endless hours with One Direction. He and his music just means so much to everybody.”

    The tearful crowd sported One Direction garb and brought candles, flowers, letters, balloons, paintings, and pictures, among other things, to build a memorial they embraced throughout the vigil, planned by a loyal supporter who wanted to honor the profound memories Payne’s career has provided fans over the years.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1mpg9P_0wEDEdvT00
    Mourning fans brought flowers, candles, photos and letters to honor the famous singer. William Miller

    Alyssa Delvito, 25, brought a homemade candle to honor Payne, explaining that One Direction helped her through tough times growing up and gave her a community of friends around the globe, comparing the band to The Beatles.

    “I just broke down. I felt like the end of an era. Like I was saying goodbye to my childhood,” she said, explaining how she felt the moment she learned of the star’s death.

    Zayn Malik postpones tour dates after Liam Payne’s ‘heartbreaking’ death

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1fiLMy_0wEDEdvT00
    Fans built a makeshift memorial and embraced it as they sang along to Payne’s music. William Miller

    The singer was reportedly under the influence of a dangerous substance dubbed “Cristal,” when he plunged to his death from the third-floor balcony of his room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel Wednesday night, Buenos Aires cops told TMZ on Friday.

    The substance can cause users to experience hallucinations and extreme highs and extreme lows, often making them aggressive, cops said.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ftEaf_0wEDEdvT00
    The outpouring of grief comes days after the former One Direction star fell to his death from his hotel balcony in Argentina. Marie Pohl

    Police believe the drug could be behind the singer’s “erratic” behavior before his death and could have caused a hallucination that played a part in his fatal fall.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3U8xJi_0wEDEdvT00
    Payne was 31-year-old. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    While it remains unclear if his fall was intentional or accidental, an autopsy released on Thursday indicated that Payne may have been unconscious when he fell.

    The singer’s body was found on the ground floor outside the Buenos Aires hotel with “a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a cellphone,” sources told TMZ.

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    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4FRZjL_0wEDEdvT00
    It remains unclear if his fall was intentional or accidental. REUTERS

    Medics said Payne’s injuries were “incompatible with life” — first responders described a “cranial fracture” that led to “immediate death,” according to La Nacion.

    Photos from inside Payne’s hotel suite after his death show a chaotic scene . Trashed rooms, champagne bottles, a smashed television and a mess of drug paraphernalia, including powders and tinfoil.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=10T5ob_0wEDEdvT00
    Tearful fans comforted each other at the vigil. REUTERS

    The images also reveal a Dove soap packet, an empty glass, the remains of a burned candle and the scorched top of a drink can on a desk — along with traces of a white powder that authorities will test to confirm if it could be cocaine, reported La Nacion, Argentina’s largest newspaper, which verified the alarming photos.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Bl6HW_0wEDEdvT00
    An autopsy released on Thursday indicated that Payne may have been unconscious when he fell. REUTERS

    Payne, who leaves behind his 7-year-old son, had gone to rehab twice previously — when he was a member of One Direction and after the group split in 2015 — and had commented on how addiction made him suicidal.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4EhqON_0wEDEdvT00
    Payne was a member of One Direction until the band split in 2015. WireImage

    He was allegedly telling people that he was sober in the months before his death, a source with direct knowledge told TMZ .

    “That’s not a way someone should die,” New York University student Busola Oshin, 20, said.

    “It’s horrible. He was only 31. I just hope he rests in peace.”

    For the latest in entertainment, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/entertainment/

    Comments / 5
    Add a Comment
    Netnet Mathis
    4h ago
    🙏
    godsmack
    8h ago
    I say his family should use his death to expose his groomers... save another kid trying to be famous...
    View all comments
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