Hundreds gather in central London to mourn death of singer Liam Payne

LONDON (AP) — A whole bunch gathered Sunday in London’s Kensington Gardens to mourn Liam Payne as followers around the globe grieved for the One Route singer who died this week.

Directioners, as supporters of the massively profitable boy band are recognized, left tributes in London, Glasgow, Paris, Sydney and New York this weekend as they celebrated the lifetime of the 31-year-old who died Wednesday after falling from a lodge balcony in Buenos Aires.

In London, they clapped and sang after gathering close to a statue of Peter Pan, the fictional boy who by no means grew up created by J.M. Barrie. The mourners, largely younger girls, left coronary heart formed balloons, images and flowers on the base of the statute, which sits subsequent to a slender path subsequent to a waterway often called The Lengthy Water.

Aware of the crowds within the restricted house, organizers requested followers to go away their tributes then transfer away to permit others to strategy the statue.

Followers Lauren Anderson and Natasha Bradley, each 23, mentioned they wished to be with others who shared their grief.

“Your dad and mom, they don’t actually perceive how a lot (One Route) actually meant to you rising up,” Bradley mentioned, explaining why she got here to the park.

The vigils adopted those who passed off outdoors the Casa Sur Lodge within the stylish Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital instantly after Payne fell from his third-floor lodge room. The 4 surviving members of One Route issued a joint assertion saying they have been “utterly devastated” by the demise of their bandmate.

One Route rose to worldwide reputation quickly after the band was fashioned in 2010 from 5 younger singers who auditioned for the X Issue, a British TV expertise present. The band broke up in 2016 after producing 5 albums that offered greater than 70 million copies.