Heartbroken Liam Payne fans gather outside Argentina hotel in touching tribute to 1D star

Heartbroken fans have gathered near the Buenos Aires hotel where former star Liam Payne .

Photos show large crowds of people behind a cordon put in place in front of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina's capital. After news of Liam's death emerged, fans rushed to the hotel, forming lines that spilled into the street as police stood sentinel outside.

Young women at the scene expressed shock and heartbreak. "I didn't think he was going to die so young," 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told The Associated Press. Dozens of people gathered on the cordoned-off street outside the hotel, with many recording videos on their cellphones.

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A forensic investigator was seen exiting the hotel, where Liam's body remained Wednesday evening. The singer was one of five members of One Direction, which formed in 2010 when they each auditioned for the British singing competition series "The ".

After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, and his fellow judges combined Payne, Zayn Malik, , Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands - even though they lost the competition. The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits like "What Makes You Beautiful," "Night Changes" and "Story of My Life." They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016. They had a loyal fan base, many of whom were teen girls, who became known as "Directioners."

"I've always loved One Direction since I was little. To see that he died and that there will never be another reunion of the boys is unbelievable, it kills me," said 18-year-old Juana Relh, another fan outside the Buenos Aires hotel.

Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Liam fell from the third floor of the hotel, which resulted in "extremely serious injuries." His body was found in an internal patio of the hotel and medics confirmed his death on the spot, the statement said.

City ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti said he had fallen around 40 metres and suffered "severe injuries which were incompatible with life." He said: "The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.

"At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead. Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him."