Body of One Direction star Liam Payne flown home to Britain

BUENOS AIRES – The father of former One Direction star Liam Payne, who fell to his death from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony in October, began repatriating the singer’s body to Britain on Nov 6, a police source told AFP.

A flight carrying Payne’s remains left Buenos Aires for London at 1.58pm local time (12.58am on Nov 7 in Singapore), the source said.

A video circulating on social media showed his father Geoff Payne at Ezeiza International Airport minutes before boarding.

Argentine media reported that Liam Payne’s body was transferred on the morning of Nov 6 from the British Cemetery in Buenos Aires, where it was embalmed.

An employee of the funeral home in charge of the arrangements said on Nov 5 it would be repatriated in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Payne was found dead on Oct 16

after plunging from the balcony of his third-floor room at the CasaSur Hotel in the Argentinian capital.

His death at age 31 prompted

a global outpouring of grief

and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans and others.

It also prompted a debate about whether the music industry has a duty of care for the mental health of stars who find fame at a young age.

Payne had spoken publicly about his

struggles with substance abuse

and coping with the celebrity that came with being discovered on British reality talent show The X Factor at age 16.

Hotel staff had called emergency services twice to report a guest “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol” who was destroying a hotel room.

On Nov 5, Mr Geoff Payne again visited the makeshift memorial of letters, photos and flowers left by fans outside the CasaSur Hotel after his son’s death.

One of the highest-grossing pop acts in the world, English-Irish boy band One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Liam Payne went on to enjoy a degree of solo success, but his career had languished recently. AFP