Liam Payne funeral: One Direction stars and friends and family gather to pay respects to singer
Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates were pictured arriving at the late singer’s funeral on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old died last month after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Argentina.
His body was flown back to the UK on November 6, with thousands of devastated fans tracking the repatriation flight.
A service was held at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, where mourners gathered to pay their respects to the singer who rose to fame on The X Factor in 2010.
Girls Aloud singers Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were among the first mourners to arrive at the church, both wearing long black coats and sunglasses.
Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy also joined the mourners at the Buckinghamshire church.
Dozens of locals and fans gathered outside St Mary’s Church to pay their final respects to the former One Direction star.
A local resident, Rosemary Nicholson, 57, told reporters: “I’m happy that only locals knew about this. He deserves a respectful and peaceful send off, in honour of his son, Bear, and family.”
The entrance to St Mary’s Church had been decorated with white roses arranged in the surrounding shrubbery and candle lanterns.
Half a dozen members of a private security team took up positions in the church grounds, with a lone guard stationed at the entrance.
Metal barriers were placed across the road from the church to accommodate dozens of media covering the service.
A white gazebo had been erected at the entrance where mourners entered for the funeral.
Two women were seen sweeping leaves from around a side entrance where floral displays and six candles in glass holders had been placed.
All four of Liam’s former One Direction bandmates – Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik – attended the service.
A church source told reporters that a choir and musicians will perform at the service, which began at 1pm.
Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, according to the post-mortem examination report.
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An investigation has been launched into his death by prosecutors, with three people charged in connection with the incident.
A toxicology report revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant in his system prior to his death.
The suspects charged include a companion of Payne, a hotel employee who provided cocaine, and a drug dealer. They face charges of “abandonment of a person followed by death” and supply of narcotics.
Payne had been in Argentina to renew his US visa and to watch bandmate Niall Horan perform.