The father of former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died after falling from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, began repatriating the singer’s body back to Britain on Wednesday. , Photo Credit: Joel C Ryan
Father of former One Direction star Liam PayneThe singer’s body began being flown to Britain on Wednesday after he fell to his death from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, a police source told AFP.
A flight carrying Payne’s remains departed Buenos Aires for London at 1:58 p.m. local time (1658 GMT), the source said.
A video circulating on social media shows his father Geoff at Aziza International Airport minutes before boarding.
Argentine media reported that Payne’s body was transferred from the British cemetery in Buenos Aires on Wednesday morning, where he was embalmed.
An employee in charge of funeral home arrangements told AFP on Tuesday that it would be brought back in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Payne was found dead on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his third-floor room at the Casasur Hotel in the Argentinian capital.
His death at the age of 31 prompted a global outpouring of grief and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans and others.
It also sparked debate over whether the music industry had a duty to care for the mental health of stars who rose to fame at a young age.
Payne has spoken publicly about his struggles with substance abuse from an early age and dealing with fame.
Hotel staff had called emergency services twice to report that a guest was “intoxicated by drugs and alcohol” and was “destroying” a hotel room.
On Tuesday, Geoff Payne revisited the makeshift memorial of letters, photographs and flowers left by fans outside the Casasur Hotel following his son’s death.
One Direction, one of the highest-grossing live acts in the world, went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne enjoyed some solo success, but his career had recently gone into decline.
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published – November 07, 2024 03:37 am IST