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Liam Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, has stepped out for the first time since his son’s tragic death at 31.
Geoff traveled from the UK to Argentina and was spotted leaving his hotel Friday morning, on his way to the Buenos Aires Judicial Office, per TMZ.
Geoff wore a navy suit as he left his hotel.
Payne fell to his death from the third floor of his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
It’s unclear if his fall was intentional or accidental. However, an autopsy released on Thursday indicated that Payne may have been unconscious at the time of his fatal fall, and witnesses told TMZ that Payne was acting “erratic” before the fatal incident.
“Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” his family said in a joint statement on Thursday.
The former members of One Direction released a joint statement that same day.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” read the message from Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, which was obtained by The Post on Thursday.
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”
They added, “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
Payne rose to fame after the group was formed on “X Factor” in 2010.
Simon Cowell, who discovered the group, shared his sentiments on Friday.
“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” Cowell wrote on Instagram. “Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”
“I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together. I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like? And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused. And how much you loved music. And how much love you genuinely had for the fans.”
Payne auditioned for the UK singing competition series in 2008, where he met future girlfriend Cheryl Cole. The pair dated from 2016 to 2018 and shared a son, Bear, now 7.
Cole, now 41, was one of the judges alongside Cowell and Louis Walsh who watched a then-14-year-old Payne audition for the show for the first time.
“When I’m at school, in general, I think about singing all the time,” Payne told producers before his audition. “I should really be concentrating on my work, but I just think about singing too much. It’s a dream and I’d love to do it.”
Payne made it to the judges’ house stage segment before Cowell eliminated him.
At the time, Cowell told guest judge Sinitta, “I’ve just got a horrible feeling now I am gonna seriously regret this decision.”
Two years later, Payne returned to “The X Factor” for Season 7. For his 2010 audition, the then-16-year-old performed “Cry Me a River,” inspired by Michael Bublé’s version, in front of Cole, Cowell and other judges.
“You’ve definitely got it. Whatever it is, you’ve got it,” Cole told Payne. “And I thought your voice was really, really powerful.”
The group released four albums until Malik announced his departure from the band in March 2015.
During an interview that same year, Payne said of Malik’s exit: “He had to do what he had to do, really, for himself. It’s fine.”
“We’re just going to carry on doing what we’re doing. We wish him all the best with whatever he goes into and stuff,” he continued. “We’ll just have to see what happens.”
After Malik left, One Direction went on an indefinite 2016 hiatus.
In 2017, Payne said all was “fine and good” with Malik despite the “Pillowtalk” singer’s negative comments about being part of the band.
Years before Payne’s death, the singer spoke candidly about his time in One Direction on Jessie Ware’s podcast “Table Manners” in 2019.
“There’s no stop button,” he told Ware at the time. “You’ve got no control over your life. That’s why I lost complete control of everything.”
Follow along with The Post’s coverage of Liam Payne’s tragic death at 31
The “Strip That Down” artist found the split “really scary at first” but happy it was over.
Payne went on to a solo career, releasing one album, “LP1,” in 2019, and said he had started working on a follow-up.
However, Payne also said he initially struggled to break the partying and overworking habits he developed while in the group.
The late artist decided, “You’re either going to end up a crazy child star who dies at whatever age, or you’re going to live life and actually get on with it.”