Liam Payne's heartbroken father Geoff visits new shrine dedicated to his son in Argentina

Liam Payne’s heartbroken father has made a new visit to the shrine created by fans outside the Buenos Aires hotel where his son plunged to his death ahead of his repatriation.

Geoff Payne posed for a few minutes to read goodwill messages and look at floral tributes left by a tree outside Hotel CasaSur Palermo while a handful of Liam's admirers watched on. He was seen holding a red rose in his hand which he left at the shrine after taking his time to observe the tributes to his singer son.

He was also seen embracing two emotional young female fans of Liam’s who handed him a lighted candle he also left at the foot of the tree messages and flowers have been pinned to. Argentinian media are now saying Geoff will fly back to the UK on Thursday “or probably Friday” although they have offered no explanation for the delay.

Geoff’s first visit to the shrine created by fans outside the boutique hotel where Liam, 31, died was two days after the October 16 tragedy when he flew 7,000 miles from the UK to speed up the repatriation process. Argentinian prosecutors have yet to confirm results are back from the toxicology and tissue tests Liam's dad was told would have to be completed before the repatriation could occur during a meeting with officials on October 21.

Liam’s death at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel sparked a probe which investigators initially linked to a substance-induced ‘psychotic episode’ with no ‘third-party’ involvement. Police stormed the boutique hotel where he had been staying nearly a fortnight ago to examine computers and paperwork in what is thought to have been part of a hunt for his drug dealer amid speculation someone from his hotel was supplying him with narcotics.

As well as visiting the shrine outside Liam’s hotel during his first visit to the area, Geoff also went up to the third-floor suite the former One Direction singer was staying in after being given permission to take away his son’s clothes and other belongings which investigators said they had no need for.

Thousands of grieving Liam Payne fans have signed a petition urging that a memorial is erected in honour of the singer, who had been with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Argentina before she returned to the States a few days before he died. The music lovers are requesting a permanent “structure or mural” is put in place in his home city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands.

The details of Liam’s funeral are expected to be announced very shortly, with a close friend being quoted earlier today as saying: “He will have a very big send off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart.”