Story by Saffron Otter & Ryan Thom & Sarah Tulloch & Bethany Gavaghan

Liam Payne’s dad says he ‘missed’ major moment in his life before devastating hotel death© Getty Images

Liam Payne’s devastated father had previously spoken about the major milestone he missed while his son was growing up. Last month Geoff Payne undertook the heartbreaking journey to Argentina to bring his son home after the former One Direction star died falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16. The tragic incident took place while Liam was holidaying with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. It has been reported that Geoff had previously voiced concerns about his son’s wellbeing.

Geoff travelled to the hotel where his son died to arrange for Liam’s body to be returned home, as police investigations into the circumstances of his death continued. The grieving father refused to leave the hotel, with an eye-witness recounting how he was ‘determined’ to hold onto the memory of his son.

At Liam’s funeral last Wednesday at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Geoff kept his promise to his family to stay by their side as Liam’s coffin was carried into the church. Previously Geoff admitted he had previously struggled to come to terms with losing his pop star son when he shot to fame with One Direction and began touring the world.

A source close to the family revealed to Mail Online: “Geoff is a lovely, lovely man. He struggled with Liam becoming famous. It was Simon who gave Liam so much, but also the one who took him away as such a young man, so it must have been difficult for Geoff.”

As Liam’s career skyrocketed at the age of 16 following his appearance on The X Factor and signing with Simon Cowell’s SyCo label, his family life underwent a profound transformation. He embarked on a global tour, leaving his family to deeply feel his absence, OK! reported.

Geoff shared his longing for typical father-son experiences, expressing regret over missed opportunities such as buying Liam his first beer. In a heartfelt revelation during One Direction’s 2013 documentary This Is Us, he confessed: “I don’t think we get to see him enough. There’s a lot said about the mum’s spirit and feeling. But dads do feel it as well, especially at 17, you’d like to have that son around you. All I had to offer him was to take him drinking and playing snooker.

“I didn’t really have an awful lot to offer him, but that’s part of your establishment as a young man, and that time went. I’ve missed it. I’ve missed it. He’s the only fella in the family, he’s gone.” It has been claimed that Liam’s father had been worried about him for some time and emphasized the importance of the star staying busy and never being left alone.

Liam Payne’s father admitted to struggling when the teenager singer first became famous© Getty

Newly reports suggest that the former boyband celebrity was holding a bag when he fell. It comes as one witness claims that hotel personnel knew of Liam’s plan to use the balcony for escape yet did not supervise him.

Sources close to Liam suggest that he had long found the confinement of hotel rooms challenging, a struggle he voiced on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, recounting: “My dad said it from day one – lonely hotel rooms, man – getting locked in that room is not fun when you’ve been exposed.”

Following his death, Liam’s loved ones released a poignant tribute stating: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”