THIS is the moment Liam Payne’s devastated dad reads tributes left to his son outside the hotel where he died in Argentina.
The singer’s loved ones made a desperate dash to South America late on Wednesday night just hours after his tragic passing.
Footage taken outside the Casa Sur hotel on Friday showed a sombre Geoff Payne bending down to read messages written to his son.
The distraught, bleary-eyed dad waved to Liam’s fans as he took in the touching display.
Dressed in a dark suit with his hands clasped in front of him, Geoff was shielded by police and security from dozens of fans and reporters.
One Direction star Liam, 31, fell to his death from the third floor of his hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
Champagne, prescription drugs, white powder and foil wraps were all found in Liam’s trashed hotel room after the fatal fall at around 5pm (9pm UK time).
Fellow hotel guests revealed the star had been acting in a “disturbing” manner shortly before his fall, with Liam admitting to one woman: “I used to be in a boy band – that’s why I’m so f**ked up.”
Liam’s family said after his passing: “We are heartbroken.
“Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.
“We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space during this awful time.”
His parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, were seen leaving their home in the middle of the night on Wednesday.
They left “in a hurry” at around midnight as news of Liam’s death reached the family home in Wolverhampton.
On Thursday morning the downstairs curtains remained drawn at the four bedroom detached house in Codsall.
A family member who answered the door told reporters: “We’re obviously devastated at the news but we don’t want to comment.”
Neighbours said the couple left in a hurry while two women, believed to be Liam’s sisters, Ruth and Nicola, were seen entering the property at 9am on Thursday.
Liam felt he wasn’t as good as his other bandmates… he was just always so hard on himself
A source told The Sun
One local resident, who did not want to be named, said: “They were seen leaving in a hurry at around midnight last night but I’m not sure if they had bags.
“You can’t imagine what they are going through. I know Liam liked to get back here when he could.
“They will be utterly heartbroken as they were very close.
“His home town always had a place in his heart. The community is going to be devastated. I think the sisters are there now, your heart goes out to them.”
Another neighbour said: “I think they left last night at around 12pm. The parents aren’t here. All I can say really is condolences to them.”
Friends said the singer had been in a dark place in the past few weeks and turned to drink as he struggled with his career and other personal issues.
A source told The Sun exclusively: “His friends have been worried about him for weeks because he was struggling with his career and wanted to release some new music, but he felt he wasn’t as good as his other bandmates, which they kept telling him just wasn’t true.
“He was just always so hard on himself.
“Then in recent weeks his drinking and suspected drug use started to worry his friends, they were actually planning an intervention, it was that bad.
“They were heartbroken seeing him this way – but just didn’t know how to go about staging a proper intervention.
“They’ve been worried sick about him, he’s just been in a bad place for the past few weeks.
“Lots of his friends had been telling him gently to get professional help or go to rehab but he just wouldn’t listen.
“The day of his death he was acting very off and erratically.
“One of his friends suggested to him again that he should get help but this just seemed to set him off more.
“Everyone is just distraught – their only comfort is that police have said he would have died instantly in the fall so he wouldn’t have suffered.”
