Tragic Liam Payne will be flown back to Britain today as the One Direction star’s body has finally been released to his family.
The news comes three weeks after Liam died on October 16 at the age of 31 when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
An autopsy previously confirmed that Liam suffered internal and external bleeding and multiple traumatic injuries as a result of the fall.
Just last week, local police raided the Casa Sur Hotel where the fall took place after following up on allegations that staff had sold the singer drugs in the hours leading up to his death.
Liam’s body was held in Argentina while local officials completed further post-mortem tests. It was released to his family on Wednesday, prosecutor Andrés Madrea told the BBC.
Liam Payne died on October 16 at the age of 31 when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Liam Payne’s last Snapchat post before falling to his death from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel
Prosecutors have been exploring the theory that Liam was in “a state of semi-or total unconsciousness” during an apparent drug-induced episode on the morning of his death.
The singer’s father, Geoff Payne, has been in the country where his son died in recent weeks and was seen earlier this week paying his respects to his son and even joining mourners amid a sea of floral tributes.
Thousands of fans around the world rallied in the days and weeks following Liam’s death, with many breaking down in tears.
Speaking to MailOnline, a fan at a vigil in London, 19-year-old Tyger Paige, shared her reaction to the tragic news: ‘I didn’t know what to do.
“We don’t know him personally, but we all grew up with him.”
The fan then burst into tears and told her about the significance of the band: “It feels like we’ve all forgotten about One Direction.
‘It feels like we have failed. I wish everyone would just get together while he was still alive.
‘They were everywhere. They were everything.”
Payne was on holiday in South America with girlfriend Kate Cassidy (pictured left) when the tragic fall occurred
A Change.org petition has been launched for a permanent memorial in Wolverhampton in honor of the late Liam Payne
News of the singer’s repatriation comes shortly after reports in the Argentine press claimed that the necessary paperwork for the singer’s body to return home had been completed.
Geoff Payne was initially warned by investigators upon his arrival in Buenos Aires that it would take fifteen days for all their investigations to be over.
Liam had been in Argentina with his long-term girlfriend Kate Cassidy and left the couple’s holiday to return to the US two days before his death.
The singer’s solo career emerged from the worldwide fame that began with the ITV talent show The X Factor.
He was eventually placed in a boy band with four other solo hopefuls during the boot camp phase of the competition – the group that later became One Direction.
In 2012, the band won their first Brit Award for Best British Single for their debut song What Makes You Beautiful, before taking home the UK Global Success Award a year later.
Liam rose to fame with the band One Direction. He is pictured with band members (left-right) Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik
Touching floral tributes were left outside the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital following the death of the ex-One Direction star
Fans have been paying their respects to the pop star at the hotel since his tragic death
The members would eventually go their separate ways before Liam launched his solo career.
A young woman staying at the same hotel said the former One Direction singer told her: “I was in a boy band – that’s why I’m so confused” just minutes before he died.
Rebecca’s surprise 30-minute encounter with Payne took place in the lobby of the hotel where she was staying for a wedding. Payne was supposed to check out Wednesday morning but still hadn’t done so by late afternoon, she claimed.
Following the star’s death, Payne’s family said they were “heartbroken”, adding: “Liam will live on in our hearts forever and we will remember him for his kind, funny and courageous soul.”
A joint statement from his One Direction bandmates said they were “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”, adding that “the memories we shared with him will be cherished forever”.