Two days after the former One Direction member fell from a hotel balcony and died, his father traveled to Argentina to arrange for his son’s body to be returned to the UK, CBS News reported on October 19.

After landing at Buenos Aires International Airport in the early hours of the morning, Geoff Payne was spotted arriving at a downtown hotel with British consular officials. Liam Payne’s father later went to the Buenos Aires morgue to identify his son’s body. He then went to the local prosecutor’s office, which is investigating the case, to complete the paperwork to have his son’s body repatriated to his homeland.

Geoff Payne also stopped by the Casa Sur hotel – where Liam fell and died – to collect some of his son’s belongings. There, many Argentines gathered, leaving flowers and handwritten cards to say goodbye to the singer. Geoff Payne made his way through the crowd and kissed his son’s portrait. He did not forget to thank everyone.

Geoff Payne arrived in Argentina to complete the procedures to bring his son’s body back to England. Photo: EFE .

This is the first time a member of Liam Payne’s family has appeared in public since the music star’s death. “We are deeply saddened. Liam will live on in our hearts forever. And we will always remember him as a kind, funny man,” his family representative shared.

In a social media post on October 19, Liam’s sister Ruth Gibbins called her brother her “best friend” and expressed disbelief at the tragedy. She shared many memorable memories with her late brother, such as having tea with Liam after work or picking him up from One Direction concerts.

“I used to pick him up after work, especially after concerts and shows. Liam would show me the new songs on the album. He loved 1D and the members of the group, and we discussed this topic a lot,” she recalled.

Liam and his sister. Photo: Ruth Gibbins.

Gibbins also revealed that her brother had been having a hard time over the years: “I feel like the world hasn’t been kind to you. Over the past few years, you’ve had to work really hard to overcome all the bad things that have been thrown at you. You just want to be loved and make people happy with your music. Hopefully now you can feel the love that you never received during that time.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. Just wanted to let you know that I’m here if you need anything,” Ruth Gibbins captioned a series of photos with Liam, sharing that she would take care of her little boy instead.

Earlier, the news of Liam Payne’s death at the age of 31 shocked fans around the world. Some witnesses said that Liam fell from his room on the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo hotel. According to Argentine police, Liam Payne was likely under the influence of a strong drug, known to cause psychotic episodes and hallucinations before his death.