Liam Payne's heartbroken dad refuses to leave his side as family fight to get body home

Liam Payne's bereft family is hoping to have his body flown back to the UK this week, "back where he belongs" with them.

The singer's father has been resolutely by his side throughout, even as authorities in Buenos Aires have delayed releasing the late One Direction member's body pending final pathology results.

The tests are expected to be concluded shortly, and there's hope they could be ready any moment now.

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A source shared: "Liam's loved ones just want him home, back where he belongs among his family. As they await the pathologist to finish their tests, behind the scenes, they have been tackling the logistics about how best to get his body back to the UK. There are no direct commercial flights between Buenos Aires and London, but naturally, they want the flight to have the least stops and interruptions possible. But Geoff is determined to accompany his son home."

Faced with the challenge of a 6,915-mile journey and no direct flights from Buenos Aires to London, the Payne family is contemplating chartering a private jet despite the few options that can make the trip on one fuel tank.

Liam Payne with parents Geoff and Karen in 2010.
(Image: Express & Star / SWNS)

Meanwhile, Liam'S fans worldwide, known as 'Directioners', gathered en masse in places like London, New York, Paris, Stockholm, and Colombia to mourn and celebrate the star's life, , reports the Mirror.

Flowers, heartfelt messages, and songs from the boy band accompanied fans as they convened to honour his memory in London at Hyde Park's Peter Pan statue, and Paris' Tuileries Garden. Ellie Markham, 23, made the journey to Hyde Park all the way from Brighton, expressing: "I just wanted to be here to pay my respects and let Liam's family know all Directioners are thinking of them. He will forever be in our hearts."

Under tragic circumstances, Liam’s life was cut short after he fell from the balcony of his third-floor suite at the CasaSur Hotel in Palmero, Buenos Aires. Only last Wednesday, before the incident, guests noticed his erratic behaviour in the hotel lobby.

Post-fall, the discovery by police of prescription drug clonazepam, energy supplements, and various over-the-counter meds strewn across the room points to a scene of disorder, complete with "various items broken."

Geoff Payne, father of Liam Payne, acknowledges the fans at the memorial in tribute to former One Direction singer Liam Payne outside Casa Sur Hotel on October 18, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina

A whiskey bottle, lighter, and mobile phone were later found in the hotel's inner courtyard, right where Liam's body laid. Inside his room, photographs depict a scene pockmarked with what looks like extensive drug paraphernalia and a television destroyed.

Liam, who had been in Argentina to catch his bandmate Niall Horan's gig, found himself stuck in the country longer than anticipated. A close mate has said it’s because his US visa renewal faced issues: Liam’s candid admission of past substance use on his 'extraordinary achievement' visa application reportedly led to the initial refusal.

US Embassy officials demanded the musician submit to a drug test to confirm his sobriety. Revealing the tension, an insider disclosed to the Mirror: "Knowing he needed to pass the test, Liam kept away from everything. He didn't touch a thing and was clean when he presented himself for testing."

The visa was eventually approved with plans to have his passport stamped just two days after his untimely passing.

As Sunday unfurled, more details of Liam's final hours surfaced, sketching a devastating image of the ex-One Direction member's last moments. A mere few hours before his fatal balcony incident, Liam reached out to two women via an Argentine website, sparking queries about the challenges he contended with before his tragic demise.

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