Liam Payne "took the time to greet" his fans before his death.
The One Direction star had been staying in Buenos Aires for a number of weeks when he died on Wednesday (16.10.24) after falling from the balcony of his hotel room, and now fan Noelia Verón has recalled getting the chance to meet the singer just weeks before the tragedy happened.
She told Us Weekly: "I met him on September 30th at the hotel’s door. I mean, I was passing by. I waited there for a while to take a picture of him because I couldn’t believe it. He came closer to the fans, he took pictures.
"We shared a moment. In my case I [jokingly] told him that I had escaped from the [school building]; I had abandoned the class and he made a joke about it, like, ‘I couldn’t believe it’ [and asked] what kind of class I was doing, what I was studying.
"He looked good. The relationship with the fans was unique. He took the time to greet each one of them, to take a picture, to be there, to share. He lived it all with a lot of emotion, everything that happened on that September 30th."
Another fan to bump into the singer was Luana Matzkin, and she recalled that he seemed "very happy" at the time.
She said: "It was crazy. We arrived running, knowing that he was possibly going to leave at that time. “I was there taking pictures and I was already shaking since I saw him from afar. It was crazy to have him up close. He seemed very happy. He stayed for an hour or more taking pictures with all the fans who were there."
Liam shot to fame in 2010 alongside Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik when they placed third on the UK version of 'The X Factor', and they went on to achieve global chart-topping success as the world's first billion-dollar boyband.
The group went on hiatus in 2016 and Liam went on to have son Bear, seven, with his former partner Cheryl and enjoyed a solo career with his hit single 'Strip That Down' and his only album 'LP1'.
He had travelled to Buenos Aires with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy to see his former bandmate Niall perform in the city, but they decided to stay for a couple of weeks and she left just days before his death.
Just over 24 hours after the tragedy, the 'What Makes You Beautiful' singers released a joint statement, admitting to being "devastated by the news of Liam's passing".
They said: "We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.
"But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
"The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
"We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam. - Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry. (sic)"
