Liam Payne’s funeral took place on Wednesday (Nov. 20) in south-east England, just over a month after his death (Oct. 16). The One Direction star died at age 31 following a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The private funeral for family and friends only took place in Amersham, Buckinghamshire with his 1D bandmates – Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan – all in attendance. The X Factor‘s Simon Cowell, TV presenter James Corden and Kate Cassidy, Payne’s partner at the time of his attendance, were also part of the congregation.
An autopsy for Payne confirmed that he suffered internal and external bleeding and multiple traumatic injuries from his fall. His body was flown back to the U.K. earlier this month in preparation for the funeral. The singer’s body had previously been held by local authorities in order to complete toxicology and other lab tests to determine his cause of death.
Upon his passing, his family released a short statement, saying that “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.” His One Direction bandmates shared a joint statement following Payne’s passing, saying that they were “completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.”
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,” their message continued. “But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”
Earlier this month, three people were detained in connection to Payne’s fall, with Argentine police alleging that Payne was supplied drugs prior to his death. According to a translated copy of the toxicology report, in the days leading up to his death, Payne reportedly had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system. The investigation into his death is ongoing.
One Direction formed on TV show The X Factor in 2010, and released five studio albums before the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 to pursue solo projects. Payne released one studio album before his passing, 2019’s LP1, and was said to be readying a second prior to his passing.
Payne is survived by his parents, two sisters and his son with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, Bear, who was born in 2017.
