Liam Payne’s heartbroken father Geoff reads tributes left by fans outside hotel where One Direction star fell to his death

Liam Payne’s father has arrived in Argentina following the death of the One Direction star who fell to his death from a hotel balcony on Wednesday.

Geoff Payne, who landed in the country yesterday, was pictured in a navy suit exiting the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, where the British star fell from a third floor balcony on Wednesday.

Mr Payne is said to have flown to the country to organise the repatriation of his son, the Associated Press has reported.

Mr Payne was seen visiting tributes laid out by fans outside the hotel, reading letters and pausing around flowers, photographs and candles.

The singer’s family paid tribute to the 31-year-old on Thursday. They said they were ‘heartbroken’ following his death, adding: ‘Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.’ 

The singer was pronounced dead at the scene after falling 45ft from the balcony of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. 

Tributes have flooded in for the popstar from millions of friends and fans of Payne, including the mother of his child Cheryl Cole. 

The Girls Aloud singer was previously in a relationship with him for two years, with the pair welcoming Bear Grey, into the world on March 22, 2017.

The grieving mother has taken to Instagram telling of her anguish as she tries ‘navigate this earth shattering event’.

Her statement read: ‘As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time.

‘I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being.

‘Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven year old son.

‘A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.’

Before his sudden death at around 5pm (ART) , the pop star had been attending his former bandmate Niall Horan’s tour in the Latin American country.

A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing at the concert with his current partner Kate Cassidy.

Following the gig, to fans delight he posted a picture with Niall to Snapchat captioned: ‘Reunited.’

Kate also broke her silence on Friday after his tragic death. She took to Instagram to express her saddness, as she told her followers ‘I have been at a complete loss’, ‘nothing feels real’.

The 25-year-old wrote that she will love her ‘angel’ ‘for the rest of her life’, adding in the tribute ‘444’ which is considered an angel number in numerology.

Kate and Liam first started dating in October 2022, and made their red carpet debut at the Fashion Awards later that year. 

Just days before his death, Kate shared a touching post, dedicated to the singer.

The blonde beauty took a snap of the popstar riding horseback in the countryside. Liam could be seen wearing a casual grey T-shirt as he sat on the horse and spoke to someone who appeared to be helping him.

Over the picture, Kate wrote: ‘I am very grateful for the simple things in life’.

Before the singer’s death, he had shared a final Snapchat post showed him happily posing with Kate as they looked into a mirror. A picture originally taken last August.

Liam began his pursuit to stardom when he initially auditioned for X Factor in 2008.

At only 14-years-old Liam impressed judges with his own version of Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra – but was later eliminated from the show. 

However Payne gave his singing career another go auditioning for the competition again in 2010, where he quickly shot to fame as part of One Direction.

He and his former bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, were brought together by music mogul Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger who saw their potential as a group.

In a joint statement released on Thursday, the four singers said they were ‘completely devastated’ by the death of their bandmate. 

‘In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,’ they said.

‘But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

‘The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.

‘We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’

The group have also paid separate emotional tributes on social media, with Horan being the last bandmate to do so. He said he will ‘cherish every moment’ he had with Payne ‘forever’.

Payne was spotted dancing at Horan’s show around two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Cassidy in Argentina.

‘I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking,’ Horan wrote.

Meanwhile Simon Cowell said he was ‘truly devastated’ after the death of the singer, adding that he also felt ‘heartbroken’ and ’empty’. 

‘Every tear I have shed is a memory of you,’ he wrote in a statement on Instagram.

The 65-year-old titan of the music industry said his son Bear ‘will be so proud of everything you achieved, and how you achieved it’.