5 Hot Stories: Fan Recalls Meeting 'Kind' Liam Payne Before His Death

As fans continue to honor Liam Payne, one mourner exclusively opened up to Us Weekly about meeting the late One Direction singer shortly before his death at age 31. “We came to the hotel. We saw him. He greeted us, but we didn’t think these things would happen,” Peruvian resident Zaira Bravo told Us of her interaction with the musician in Argentina. Payne was found dead at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Wednesday, October 16. Police sources later told Us that it’s unknown whether Payne accidentally fell from the hotel’s third floor balcony or if he jumped. Bravo was left shaken by the news of Payne’s death, noting, “It’s something I can’t explain.” Wrap up the week with more of Us’ top stories below:

• Simon Cowell, who helped form One Direction on The X Factor UK in 2010, broke his silence on Payne’s death on Friday, October 18. “Liam, I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote in a statement.
• Love Is Blind’s Hannah Jiles is setting the record straight on how she lost weight after showing off her post-pods transformation, admitting she “did try Ozempic” at one point.
• Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, traveled with him in Argentina but left the country just two days before his death. Find out more about her career and their relationship.
• Hailey Bieber’s father, Stephen Baldwin, revealed she and husband Justin Bieber are “better than ever” after welcoming their first baby, son Jack Blues, in August.

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