Liam Payne vigils see scores of tearful fans celebrate life of lad 'we all grew up with'

Liam Payne will be laid to rest this week following his death at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday October 16

Scores of Liam Payne fans gathered to pay their emotional respects to the lad "we all grew up with" at vigils.

Crowds have celebrated the 31-year-old star's life in cities across the UK, including London and the musician's home city of Wolverhampton, West Midlands. Some fresh vigils were held in light of the news Liam's body was finally returned home from Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday ahead of his funeral, thought to take place on Friday.

Speaking at a vigil in London, 19-year-old fan Tyger Paige, fought back the tears. She said: "We don't know him in-person but we all grew up with him... It feels like we all forgot about One Direction. It feels like we failed. I wish everyone just came together whilst he was alive. They were everywhere. They were everything."

Liam passed away at the age of 31 on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His funeral will feature "a series of song tributes" because the One Direction Star "loved making music until the end," a source claimed.

The star's dad, Geoff Payne, was initially warned by investigators upon his arrival in Buenos Aires that it would take up to 15 days before all their examinations were over. However, Liam's body was released to his family on Wednesday, public prosecutor Andrés Madrea told the publicly-funded broadcaster.

Photographs show mountains of flowers and tributes left in Liam's memory following vigils. They include gatherings in Wolverhampton, where the singer was born and went to school.

Liam's journey home comes as Argentinian police reportedly conduct another series of raids in connection with the late singer's death. TMZ reports that law enforcement sources in Buenos Aires revealed that the raids took place on Tuesday night at the homes of two hotel workers and a 'friend' of the singer.

The officers also inspected the hotel lockers of the workers and scrutinised security footage from the CasaSur Palermo hotel. It's believed that these unidentified workers had contact with Liam before his tragic fall from the balcony of his third-floor room on October 16.

One of the singer's 'friends' was also identified through text messages, and it's being investigated who might have supplied the singer with drugs. The 'friend' the police wanted to question was not present during the raid. This is the second round of raids, following one at the hotel last month where electronic and paper records and videos of the hotel's underground area were seized. A post-mortem examination determined that Liam died from head injuries sustained during his fall.