Neighbors of Liam Payne have told of their shock at his death – and paid tribute to a ‘top man’ who once bravely rushed to help when a neighbor caught an intruder.
Residents living near the star’s £3.5million home in Buckinghamshire say they are struggling to cope with the news of his fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday evening.
They said Liam was a popular part of the community and had fled his country home six months ago to help a neighbor after hearing screams and shouts from a nearby property.
Thomas Evans said Payne rushed to help him and his family after they caught a man lurking in their driveway in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.
He said police arrived at his house minutes later and couldn’t believe the One Direction star was standing there with them in a top hat, overcoat and checked trousers.
Liam Payne’s neighbor Thomas Evans revealed that the singer once rushed to help him and his family after they caught a man lurking in their driveway
He said police arrived at his home minutes later and couldn’t believe the One Direction star was there with them (Photo: Payne in Argentina, hours before his tragic death)
Liam Payne with his father Geoff and mother Karen after the X Factor final in London in 2010
In addition to father Geoff and mother Karen, Payne had two sisters, Nicola (left) and Ruth (right).
Paying tribute to the down-to-earth star, Thomas told MailOnline: ‘Liam was a very genuine and humble person.
‘He lived a quiet life here. He was a private man, but he was a warm person who always greeted you with a smile and stopped for a while to chat.
‘About six months ago my mother was away, so I was at home with my brother and sister and we saw a shadow of someone walking past a downstairs window.
‘We ran outside and saw someone sneaking through the house. This would have been about 2am and it was pitch black outside.
“Of course we screamed and shouted to deter this intruder. There was a lot of commotion and it was a tense situation.
‘About 20 minutes later this man came around the corner as I was walking through the gate and he said, ‘I heard a lot of shouting and screaming, I just wanted to check everything was okay.’
‘It was Liam. Luckily he had been awake. I don’t know if he had been somewhere and just got back, but he was wearing bizarre clothes for that time in the morning.
‘He was wearing a top hat, an overcoat and checked trousers.
‘The intruder had already run away by then, but we were all quite shocked and he could see that, so he spoke to us very calmly and had a chat to help us cool down.
Paying tribute to the down-to-earth star, Thomas told MailOnline: ‘Liam was a very genuine and humble person (Pictured: Liam’s very first X Factor audition in 2008, when he was just 14)
(From left) Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan (seated) Liam Payne and Harry Styles in 2010
Last night thousands of fans gathered outside the hotel where Liam Payne died
Fans place candles outside the hotel where Liam Payne was found dead
Fans of singer Liam Payne light candles in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Emotional fans pictured outside the Casa Sur Palmero hotel
‘The police arrived moments later and officers had to look twice when they saw Liam standing in the driveway.
‘They went to him to make a statement first and almost forgot about us for a moment.
‘Liam had a friend with him who had a drone and he set it up to see if we could catch the intruder.
“All in all, I’d say Liam was with us for about 40 minutes and didn’t leave until he knew we were all safe and sound.
‘I think that’s the character of the man. He didn’t have to come out of his house in the middle of the night to look at the children screaming and shouting, but he did anyway. None of the neighbors came to see us.”
Student Thomas said Liam moved to the sprawling property, close to the Chilterns, just over a year ago.
He added: “I heard he moved here to be closer to his former wife Cheryl as they have a young son together and she lives alone down the road.
‘I spoke to Liam a few times after that incident, mostly to drop off his mail that had accidentally come to us. Sometimes he would deliver our mail.
‘He was always very polite and happy to see you. At the gate we had a few words.
One time I went to give him his mail, but Maya Henry answered. She seemed nice too.
‘The last time I saw him was about a fortnight ago, when I saw him walking through his gate as I drove past. I gave him a little wave.
A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing with his former bandmate Niall Horan, where he later posted a photo with Niall on Snapchat with the caption: ‘Reunited.’
“My sister called me just before 1am this morning and said, ‘Liam Payne has passed away,’ and I thought she was wrong. I couldn’t believe it; I was hoping it was a false internet rumor.
“It still hasn’t sunk in, he was a great guy and he looked after us.”
Other neighbors expressed their shock and sadness.
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s tragic actually, he has a son who will now grow up without him.
‘My heart goes out to them. I really feel guilty that he was so close but struggled mentally.
“Nobody really knew anything about it, he mostly kept to himself.”