Teenagers sobbed, fans consoled each other and Liam Payne was given a final standing ovation

Buenos Aires: It’s not the kind of notification you expect to see pop up on your phone. Liam Payne’s unexpected death at a Buenos Aires hotel would have always surprised me, but particularly so today given I was nearby enjoying the final stretch of my annual leave in Argentina.

Initial reports said the former One Direction star had died after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel, just after 5pm local time. It was bizarre to read those words on my phone while sitting on the balcony of a nearby Palermo hotel with my fiancée.

Police restrain fans gathering outside the hotel.Credit: AP

With a late dinner booking and some time to kill, I decided to wander down and check out what was going on. As I turned a corner, there were hundreds of onlookers camped outside the four-star hotel as police and other officials........

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