A fan of Liam Payne has shared the heart-wrenching moment things took a tragic turn shortly after meeting her idol in Argentina. The world is still mourning the loss of the One Direction star, who passed away at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires just over a week ago.
Prior to his untimely death, the singer had invited a fan into the lobby of Casa Sur in Buenos Aires, where he was staying. Now, she has opened up about their conversation and how events tragically unfolded.
Daiana Gauna recounted her encounter with the star in the Argentinian capital, after she and her friends had been waiting to catch a glimpse of their idol. Speaking on Argentinian TV show TN Central, Daiana described how the singer appeared well and wasn’t “drunk or aggressive” during their interaction.
“He approached us and spent quite a bit of time talking to us and telling us about his experiences in Buenos Aires, the places he’d been to and where he wanted to go,” she said. “He said he loved the city and would like to buy a home here, that he loved the countryside around Buenos Aires.”
She detailed how their chat at around 3pm lasted for about 10 to 15 minutes, and claimed the star mentioned he had just woken up and was waiting to go for food, reports the Mirror.
He expressed his love for the country and told the group about his Sunday morning run in the countryside with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
Daiana recounted that shortly after their conversation, she was still at the hotel when her group noticed “strange movements” at the venue. She described how they observed a police patrol car and fire engine arriving.
“A couple who were staying at the hotel came down and we asked them what was going on and they said a guest had jumped to his death,” she continued. Daiana was in disbelief as she never imagined it could be Liam, having seen him just over an hour before and he appeared fine.
Overcome with emotion, she tearfully spoke about the devastating moment she learned it was indeed Liam. “Finding out someone is dead that you’ve just seen was really shocking,” she said through tears.
“He was my idol. Liam spoke a lot about mental health and in his songs told us we are never alone.”
She ended her account by expressing the deep sorrow felt by fans: “This is all very hard. As fans we are in a lot of pain. We want justice to be done and we don’t want things that are false published on social media.”
In memory of Liam, his fans have initiated a petition for ‘Liam’s Law’, which has garnered over 75,000 signatures. The campaign seeks to implement a proposal Liam had made to provide better support for young musicians.
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