Hundreds of fans are expected to attend one of the only memorial services for One Direction singer Liam Payne in Kent.
The 31-year-old singer fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week and was found dead at the scene by the emergency services.
Across the country, Directioners, the name given to followers of The X Factor-formed boy band, have held vigils to pay their respects to Payne.
However, long-time fan Ellie Small said none have been held in the county, with the nearest being in London, so has decided to arrange one in Margate.
She said: “Liam was loved by many fans across the world and many want to pay their respects.
“There are and have been many memorials across the world to commemorate him and celebrate his life but there has not been any close to this area.
“I wanted to give fans in this area a chance to grieve with people alike so they know they are not alone.
“I also hope this does bring awareness towards men’s mental health and help remove that stigma. It is OK to ask for help.”
Ellie became a follower of One Direction when she was eight years old when they released the hit song What Makes You Beautiful in 2011.
She added: “I never got the chance to see them live as my mum never really had the money for tickets but she would get me anything and everything she could.
“I had so many pieces of merchandise involving One Direction including figurines that sang, bedding, cups and plates, books and clothes. I was One Direction mad.”
The service is due to be held at 4pm today (October 27) at Margate Clocktower.
Attendees are asked to bring candles, flowers and handwritten notes.
In 2008, Payne originally auditioned for The X Factor as a 14-year-old, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon but was told to return to the talent show two years later.
In 2010, he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put together with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.
Following his death, tributes have poured in for Payne, who sang in the group alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
In a joint statement, his former bandmates said they were “completely devastated” and would miss the singer “terribly”, adding the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever”.
After the band announced their indefinite hiatus in 2016, the members went on to create their own music and Payne released his debut solo album, LP1, in 2019.
Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, a post-mortem examination report said.
