Memorial held for Liam Payne at Washington Square Park: 'He was so loved'

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Flowers and photos of late singer Liam Payne flooded Washington Square Park Saturday evening in a memorial service for the One Direction star. 

Fans sang along to Payne’s songs and lit candles during Saturday’s memorial, joining thousands around the world holding public vigils for the 31-year-old. 

On Sunday, vigils were organized in London, Sydney and Newcastle. 

“At the Liam Payne memorial in NYC, I couldn’t hold my tears as I put my flowers down and looked at the candles [and] young pictures,” one attendee wrote in a post to X. “I felt numb, but being surrounded by other Directioners was what I truly needed.”

Videos show the group singing along to One Direction songs like "Truly Madly Deeply" and "More Than This" as some placed flowers and notes next to a cutout of Payne.

"He was so loved," said Ashley Tunstall in a post to X.

The circumstances surrounding Payne’s death were suspicious and possibly involved drugs, though there was no sign of a third party being involved, Argentine prosecutors said. 

His body was found Wednesday in the courtyard of a hotel in Buenos Aires with traumatic injuries to his skill, abdomen and limbs consistent with a fall, according to Argentine prosecutors. 

This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press.