Liam Payne fans who travelled to Manchester this weekend to view a tribute to the late One Direction star in Cathedral Gardens were shocked to find it gone.
This heartfelt display was left by fans during a candlelit vigil earlier this month to honor Liam Payne after his tragic death.
Powerful images documented the moment when hundreds came together to lay flowers and light candles in his memory. Summer Camilleri, 20, travelled to the city to see the memorial – and emphasised that she and a group of about 20 dedicated supporters have been visiting the memorial nearly every day since Payne’s passing to ensure it remains cared for.
This spot has undeniably become an important gathering place for fans grieving his loss.
On Saturday, November 16, a group had organized to meet in remembrance of one month since Liam’s death and to celebrate the much-anticipated first screening in 11 years of the One Direction documentary This Is Us.
However, they were met with disappointment upon finding nothing but an empty slab of wood where the flowers, candles, and cards once stood.
Summer told Manchester Evening News: “The film was being played on Saturday and a bunch of us met up, a bunch of people travelled and one of the first girls that got there texted us and said everything’s gone.
“We said, ‘No you’re joking’. So we made it a mission to print some pictures and stuck them there to make ourselves feel a little bit better.
“It was kind of weird because everyone says it’s just Liam Payne, but we’re grieving someone and it was heartbreaking for us.”
Summer, a One Direction fan since she was eight, shared that Liam was her favourite out of the group, including Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
She is now calling for the council to collaborate with One Direction fans to organise a memorial for Payne in and around Manchester.
It has been reported that Liam will finally be laid to rest this week but his manager Roger Nores will not be in attendance.
The Sun has reported that Argentinian tycoon Roger “is not welcome” at the ceremony which is due to take place in Liam’s home town of Wolverhampton.
The businessman was with Liam, 31, at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires shortly before he tragically fell from his third floor balcony.
A source said: “Liam’s family want his funeral to go off without a hitch and right now opinions are strained when it comes to Roger.
“It’s true he and Liam had a bond but he’s never been popular when it comes to Liam’s wider circle.”
