London鈥檚 Hyde Park was one of the several sites around the world this weekend for an outpouring of love, grief and recollection in honor of , the former One Direction boy band member who tragically at a hotel in Buenos Aires last week at the age of 31.
Crowds gathered near the park鈥檚 Peter Pan statue, where they placed handwritten letters, teddy bears, balloons, photos and flowers, according to shared from the memorial. The scene created what looked like a scrapbook of both the singer鈥檚 life and the fans whose lives he touched.
Several fans at the memorial told CNN that being able to mourn Payne with other 1D fans gave them a sense of community and a feeling that they were among family.
The mood appeared to be both somber and celebratory. Some fans held each other as they cried. One group of people told CNN they had been collecting notes from other fans in a journal they hoped would one day reach Payne鈥檚 family.
At times, attendees would sing some of the band鈥檚 best-known songs, including 鈥淣ight Changes鈥 and according to footage posted online.
Fans sing at a memorial for former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who was found dead after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, in Hyde Park, London, Britain, on October 20. Hollie Adams/Reuters via CNN Newsource
The Hyde Park memorial is one of many fan-organized vigils held throughout the weekend, with Payne鈥檚 supporters paying tribute to the singer in London, Japan, Australia and US, among others. In the wake of Payne鈥檚 death, One Direction鈥檚 supporters, once of the band, are coming back together in person and online.
In Paris, mourners gathered around and sang along with a man who played an acoustic version of One Direction鈥檚 song 鈥淟ittle Things,鈥 video showed.
鈥淚f you ever feel alone, don鈥檛. You were never on your own,鈥 read citing the lyrics from 1D鈥檚 song 鈥淒on鈥檛 Forget Where You Belong,鈥 left at the memorial held in Milan on Sunday.
One young woman who attended a tribute in New York City told CNN affiliate WCBS, 鈥淚t feels nice to know we鈥檙e not alone in it, because I think it鈥檚 important to surround yourself with people who understand what you鈥檙e going through.鈥
Fans finding support online
While some have gathered at one of the many memorials throughout the UK and the US, others are connecting on social media.
One Direction fan accounts, particularly on X, were popular hubs for news and community engagement during the group鈥檚 heyday in the early 2010s.
Joseph Azar, who created back when the site was called Twitter, told CNN last week that they slowly stopped using the account after the members of One Direction in 2015. At its peak, the account had more than 450,000 followers.
When Azar heard the news about Payne鈥檚 death last week, he said he didn鈥檛 know what to do or who to talk to. Then he remembered thousands of people still followed @1DAlert and 鈥淚 knew this was the best place for me to be.鈥
鈥淚 knew that not only did I need this account to mourn, but thousands of other people did too,鈥 he said.
Azar said since restarting the account, many people have reached out to say how happy they were to see that the account was active again but sad given the circumstances. Azar organized a listening party on Thursday night to celebrate Payne鈥檚 music and songwriting.
鈥淚 hope I have been able to offer some peace for fellow fans,鈥 Azar said.
This story is developing and will be updated.