Liam Payne’s father has watched tributes outside the hotel where his son died, as the star’s former partner Cheryl says her son Bear must “face the reality that he will never see his father again.”

Payne, 31, died Wednesday when he fell from the balcony of the third-floor hotel room where he was staying in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In Argentina, Geoff Payne was followed by a horde of photographers when he visited the hotel, prompting fans to shout at the press and try to block the entrance to the building to prevent them from entering.

Mr Payne traveled to Buenos Aires after his son’s death and the journey from his hotel to the Casa Sur hotel was broadcast on Argentine television, despite requests from his family for privacy.

Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, who dated Payne from 2016 to 2018, also criticized the “abhorrent” media reporting following his death.

On Instagram, Cheryl said: “As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event and process my own grief during this indescribably painful time, I would like to gently remind everyone that we have lost a human being.”

Along with her statement, Cheryl shared a black and white photo of Payne with their son Bear and a broken heart emoji.

Payne’s sister, Ruth Gibbins, emotionally described him as her “best friend.” Instagram post on Saturday, promising that the family will “take care of Bear.”

“My brain is having trouble keeping track of what’s happening and I don’t understand where you went,” she added.

Cheryl also said she was concerned that her seven-year-old son was getting access to “abhorrent reporting and media exploitation” and that she would not be able to protect him from that in the future.

“What disturbs my mind most is that Bear will one day have access to the disgusting reporting and media exploitation we have seen over the past two days,” she added.

“I implore you to consider the usefulness of some of these reports, other than causing further harm to anyone left to pick up the pieces.

“Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you want your own child or family to read them.”

Concluding her statement, the 41-year-old urged people to give Payne “what little dignity he left behind after his death so that he can finally rest in some peace.”

The tribute came as Geoff Payne paused to read tributes to his son outside the Casa Sur hotel and thank the fans gathered.

When he arrived, fans at the venue created a barrier between him and the cameras, with some telling the BBC afterwards that they wanted to make sure he had space.

Bianca Gallorini, who helped organize the makeshift barrier, said fans wanted to give Mr Payne “a moment” to “express his feelings and see how much we love Liam”.

Mr Payne had previously visited the mortuary in Buenos Aires to officially identify his son so that arrangements can be made for his body to be flown back to Britain.

A federal prosecutor told the BBC that Payne’s body has been “released,” meaning no further tests were conducted and identification could take place. The investigation into his death continues.

It is not yet known when Payne’s body will be repatriated to Britain.

Fans gathered in Liverpool on Saturday afternoon to hold a vigil in memory of the One Direction singer.

Elsewhere, people gathered in the singer’s hometown Wolverhampton for a wake on Friday evening.

Simon Cowell, who brought the group together for The X Factor in 2010, previously paid his own tribute to Payne, saying he is “heartbroken” and feels “empty” following the singer’s death.

Cowell remembered Payne as “kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful (and) talented.”

In a post on Instagram, Cowell added: “And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I shed is a memory of you.”

Payne’s friend Kate Cassidy has also paid tribute to the star who she called ‘my angel’, adding that she was ‘completely lost’.

“You are everything,” she said in a statement.

“I want you to know that I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will love you for the rest of my life.”

In Cowell’s statement, he also recalled Payne’s first X Factor audition in 2008, at the age of 14, when Cowell told the aspiring singer he wasn’t ready and would come back in two years.

‘A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t. You came back and within months the whole world would know Liam.

‘And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spend so much time with people who wanted to meet you. You really cared.”

Cowell eventually signed One Direction to his label and was the mastermind behind their global success before they split in 2016.

The music mogul also revealed that Payne visited him last year “just to sit and talk”, adding that they “reminisced about all the fun times we had together”.

Also on Friday, Payne’s bandmate Niall Horan posted a tribute, saying he was “absolutely devastated” by the “passing of his amazing friend”.

Singer Katie Waissel, a contestant on One Direction in the 2010 X Factor series, called the music industry “very manipulative, coercive and deconstructive” and said “it sucks the soul out of people”.

Speaking to Stephen Nolan on BBC Radio 5 Live, Waissal, who has has long campaigned for better support for those who appear on TVcriticized the amount given to those who appear on shows such as X Factor.

The American singer Bruce Springsteen also said this the Daily Telegraph that the industry “puts enormous pressure on young people”, adding that they “don’t yet have the inner self to be able to protect themselves from many of the things that come with success and fame”.

Springsteen said he understands this “very well” from his own experience, having done “his own struggles with different things.”