Niall Horan today looked devastated as he was seen for first time since Liam Payne‘s death.
The 31-year-old former One Direction singer plunged 45ft from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires yesterday, prompting a wave of tributes from across the showbiz world.
Horan, who Payne had seen in concert in Argentina just days before he died, today looked crestfallen as he was joined by his girlfriend Amelia Woolley on a walk in London.
The This Town hitmaker, 31, is seen wearing a Muirfield Village golf club cap, green jacket and dark shades.
It comes after Simon Cowell, 65, was said to be ‘shocked and devastated’ by Payne’s death as he was pictured for the first time this afternoon.
Cowell was in the back seat of a car in Blackpool, where he was holding auditions for Britain’s Got Talent before cancelling them at the last minute after hearing of Payne’s death.
It comes as:
Niall Horan has today been seen for first time since Liam Payne’s death
Horan, who Payne had seen in concert in Argentina just days before he died, today looked devastated as he was joined by his girlfriend Amelia Woolley on a walk in London
Horan looked sombre as he and Amelia took their pet pooch for a stroll in the park.
Police investigating the sudden death of One Direction star are searching for two ‘key witnesses’ who could be among the last people to see him alive.
The singer died instantly after suffering multiple injuries that led to ‘internal and external haemorrhaging’.
Argentine investigators are now hunting for two women who spent time with Payne at the Casa Sur hotel the night before his shock death.
Both women are said to have left the hotel yesterday after waiting for the star in the lobby, Argentine outlet Infobae reports.
There is no indication that the women could be involved in his death, but police hope they can help piece together Payne’s final moments before he plunged to his death at around 5pm local time.
Payne’s family today described feeling ‘heartbroken’ by his tragic and untimely death, adding that the former One Direction star will ‘forever live in our hearts’.
Payne’s relatives said in an emotional statement: ‘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 at this awful time.’
Payne’s uncle Roger Harris also told MailOnline: ‘We are all just deeply saddened and trying to come to terms with it. I just hope everybody gives them some privacy really and allows them to come to terms with it. That’s all I can say.’
In addition, another relative speaking at Payne’s family home in Wolverhampton told MailOnline: ‘We are utterly devastated by the news.’
The singer died after falling from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires.
The This Town hitmaker, 31, is seen wearing a Muirfield Village golf club cap, green jacket and dark shades
Horan looked sombre as he and Amelia took their pet pooch for a stroll in the park
Payne’s former bandmates are yet to officially release a statement but Harry Styles’ mother has broken her silence over his tragic death
He took to Snapchat stories and captioned one snap with Niall: ‘Reunited.’
Payne had arrived in South America with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy on September 30, staying in Argentina for two weeks after only planning to spend ‘five days’ there.
During their extended trip, Payne was reunited with Niall Horan after going to watch his former bandmate perform at the Movistar Arena, Buenos Aires, on October 2.
A heartbreaking video appeared to show him in high spirits as he wrapped his arm around Ms Cassidy and tenderly kissed her on the head.
Payne had told his fans they were going to the Latin American country ‘because they want to’ and also because he ‘would like to square up a couple of things’ with his former bandmate.
On October 12, Ms Cassidy, 25, returned home to Florida after saying ‘I just need to go home’ in a TikTok video, with Payne staying behind and checking into the £230-a-night Casa Sur hotel alone.
Just 48 hours before his death, on October 14, it emerged that Payne’s ex-fiancée, Ms Maya Henry, had started legal proceedings against Payne, accusing him of obsessively contact and ‘weaponising’ his fans against her.
Two days later, Payne posted several social media videos, including one where he jokingly called his girlfriend a ‘loser’ for going home. Hours later, police were called to the hotel following reports of an ‘aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol’.
Simon Cowell was seen this afternoon in Blackpool, where he was holding auditions for Britain’s Got Talent before cancelling them at the last minute
Cowell, who wore a pair of Aviator sunglasses, had been holding auditions for Britain’s Got Talent
Liam’s first ever X Factor audition in 2008, when he was just 14
In a tape of the 911 call from the hotel manager to police, he could be heard saying: ‘I’m calling from the Casa Sur hotel in Palermo, we have a guest who is over the top with drugs and is breaking up the entire room.
‘We need someone to come.’
The call then cuts off and on a second call, the manager adds ‘when he is conscious he is breaking up the room.
‘We need you to send someone, please’
The emergency operator then asks the manager: ‘Under the influence of alcohol and narcotics?’
The manager’s response made his fears all too plain: ‘We need someone to be sent to us urgently, because I don’t know if the guest’s life is at risk.
‘The room has a balcony and we are afraid that they might do something’
Seconds later, it appeared it was too late to prevent the tragedy as the manager said with emotion in his voice: ‘Send only SAME, only SAME. [the city’s emergency paramedic service].
Liam giving an interview on X Factor when he was aged 14
Payne in a selfie he shared from Argentina hours before his tragic death
Argentina’s prosecutor’s office say ‘everything indicates’ the singer was alone when he died, but an investigation is looking into the ‘possible involvement of third parties in the events prior’.
The prosecutor’s office said forensic reports showed no injuries were observed that suggest third-party involvement and that the autopsy is compatible with a fall from height.
Detectives added the singer could have fallen while either semi-conscious or completely unconscious and that a series of substances were seized from the hotel room ‘indicating previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption’.
As more details emerge from the hours before Payne’s death, one hotel guest staying in the same hotel as Payne recalled hearing ‘violent noises’.