Liam Payne fans gather in great crowds to pay tribute in London’s Hyde Park
By Sara Smart and Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
(CNN) — London’s Hyde Park was one of the several sites around the world this weekend for an outpouring of love, grief and recollection in honor of Liam Payne, the former One Direction boy band member who tragically fell to his death at a hotel in Buenos Aires last week at the age of 31.
Crowds gathered near the park’s Peter Pan statue, where they placed handwritten letters, teddy bears, balloons, photos and flowers, according to photos shared from the memorial. The scene created what looked like a scrapbook of both the singer’s life and the fans whose lives he touched.
Several fans at the memorial told CNN that being able to mourn Payne with other 1D fans gave them a sense of community and a feeling that they were among family.
The mood appeared to be both somber and celebratory. Some fans held each other as they cried. One group of people told CNN they had been collecting notes from other fans in a journal they hoped would one day reach Payne’s family.
At times, attendees would sing some of the band’s best-known songs, including “Story of My Life,” “Night Changes” and “That’s What Makes You Beautiful,” according to footage posted online.
The Hyde Park memorial is one of many fan-organized vigils held throughout the weekend, with Payne’s supporters paying tribute to the singer in London, Japan, Australia and US, among others. In the wake of Payne’s death, One Direction’s supporters, once connected in their youthful appreciation of the band, are coming back together in person and online.
In Paris, mourners gathered around and sang along with a man who played an acoustic version of One Direction’s song “Little Things,” video footage showed.
“If you ever feel alone, don’t. You were never on your own,” read one note, citing the lyrics from 1D’s song “Don’t Forget Where You Belong,” left at the memorial held in Milan on Sunday.
One young woman who attended a tribute in New York City told CNN affiliate WCBS, “It feels nice to know we’re not alone in it, because I think it’s important to surround yourself with people who understand what you’re going through.”
Fans finding support online
While some have gathered at one of the many memorials throughout the UK and the US, others are connecting on social media.
One Direction fan accounts, particularly on X, were popular hubs for news and community engagement during the group’s heyday in the early 2010s.
Joseph Azar, who created @1DAlert on X back when the site was called Twitter, told CNN last week that they slowly stopped using the account after the members of One Direction announced their hiatus in 2015. At its peak, the account had more than 450,000 followers.
When Azar heard the news about Payne’s death last week, he said he didn’t know what to do or who to talk to. Then he remembered thousands of people still followed @1DAlert and “I knew this was the best place for me to be.”
“I knew that not only did I need this account to mourn, but thousands of other people did too,’ he said.
Azar said since restarting the account, many people have reached out to say how happy they were to see that the account was active again but sad given the circumstances. Azar organized a listening party on Thursday night to celebrate Payne’s music and songwriting.
“I hope I have been able to offer some peace for fellow fans,” Azar said.
This story is developing and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Duarte Mendonca contributed to this report.
