NEW YORK – Fans of former One Direction member Liam Payne held a memorial Saturday in Washington Square Park to honor the pop star, who died earlier this week.
Payne died the following Wednesday falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is unclear whether Payne deliberately jumped from the third floor or fell accidentally. He was 31 years old.
Many have posted tributes online in the days following his death, including Payne’s former One Direction bandmates: Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
“It feels very nice to know that we are not alone”
Hundreds gathered in Washington Square Park on Saturday evening 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 influenced my life. It’s such a big part of who I am today,” said fan Ally Williams.
“He influenced me, especially with guitar,” said fan Angelina Hawkins.
“I felt cold. Like I couldn’t believe it,” said fan Sanjanq Saboo. “It’s beautiful, it’s sad. It’s all these different mixed emotions. People are laughing and crying.”
Fans Hayley Valerio and Liza Edelstein became friends through their love for One Direction, and are now grieving alongside other fans as they come to terms with this loss.
“It feels really nice to know that we’re not alone in this, because I think it’s important to surround yourself with people who understand what you’re going through. Because if you don’t, I almost feel like I go crazy,” said Valerio.
“To so many it’s like he’s just a musician, you don’t know him personally… But the impact he had, and One Direction as a whole, on our lives, I wouldn’t have met the people who did that. ” I met today. I wouldn’t do what I’m doing today in my career,” Edelstein said.
Former bandmate Zayn Malik has decided to postpone the US leg of his tour following Payne’s death, and fans at Saturday’s memorial were supportive, hoping the former bandmates check on each other.
“Because you never know what someone is going through and I believe Liam was going through quite a bit behind closed doors that we don’t know about,” said fan Jarred Carter.
“It’s so clear how many people he’s touched without really knowing them,” said fan Ira Kartal.
Alecia Reid
