News

Oct 20, 2024

Liam Payne memorial held in NYC's Washington Square Park as fans mourn loss - CBS New York

By Alecia Reid October 19, 2024 / 11:24 PM EDT / CBS New York NEW YORK — Fans of former One Direction member Liam Payne held a memorial at Washington Square Park on Saturday to honor the pop star, who

By Alecia Reid

October 19, 2024 / 11:24 PM EDT / CBS New York

NEW YORK — Fans of former One Direction member Liam Payne held a memorial at Washington Square Park on Saturday to honor the pop star, who died earlier this week.

Payne died Wednesday after falling from the balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is unclear whether Payne intentionally jumped or accidentally fell from the third floor. He was 31 years old.

Many have been posting tributes online in the days since his death, including Payne's former One Direction bandmates – Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

Hundreds gathered Saturday night at Washington Square Park with candles, balloons and flashlights. There was singing, crying and hugging as fans mourned together.

"For my essay to get into NYU, I wrote about how One Direction affected my life. It's just such a big part of who I am today," fan Ally Williams said.

"He influenced me, especially with guitar," fan Angelina Hawkins said.

"I was feeling chills. Like I couldn't believe it," fan Sanjanq Saboo said. "It's beautiful, it's sad. It's all these different mixed emotions. People are, like, laughing and crying."

Fans Hayley Valerio and Liza Edelstein became friends through their love for One Direction, and now grieve with other fans as they process this loss.

"It feels really nice to know that we're not alone in it because I think it's important to surround yourself with people who understand what you're going through. Because if you don't, like, I almost feel like I'm going insane," Valerio said.

"To so many, it's like he's just a musician, you don't know him personally ... But the impact that he had and One Direction as a whole had on our lives, like, I wouldn't have met the people that I met today. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing in my career today," Edelstein said.

Former bandmate Zayn Malik has decided to postpone the United States leg of his tour in the wake of Payne's death, and fans at Saturday's memorial were supportive, hoping the former bandmates are checking on each other.

"Because you never know what someone could be going through and I believe Liam was going through quite a bit behind closed doors that we don't know about," fan Jarred Carter said.

"It's just so apparent how many people he touched without even really knowing them," fan Ira Kartal said.

Alecia Reid is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated reporter for CBS News New York. She is a sustainability and social justice advocate; passionate about giving a voice to people who may not otherwise be able to tell their stories.

© 2024 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.