Tearful Harry Styles and One Direction members reunite at Liam Payne’s funeral in the UK
Harry Styles at Liam Payne’s funeral.REUTERS
Harry Styles at Liam Payne’s funeral.PA Images via Getty Images
Amelia Woolley and Niall Horan at Liam Payne’s funeral.WireImage
Louis Tomlinson at Liam Payne’s funeral.WireImage
Zayn Malik at Liam Payne’s funeral.REUTERS
Simon Cowell attended the funeral with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman. Cowell, 65, formed One Direction on “The X Factor.”
Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, was one of the first attendees to arrive at the service. Her all-black outfit included a coat with fur trim and a turtleneck.
She walked into the service with Elizabeth Hurley’s son, Damian Hurley.
Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman at Liam Payne’s funeral.WireImage
Kate Cassidy and Damian Hurley at Liam Payne’s funeral.WireImage
Payne’s ex Cheryl Cole, who is the mother of his son Bear, went to the funeral as well. Bear did not appear to be there.
James Corden, a good friend to the former British boy band over the years, was also photographed arriving to the ceremony.
Cheryl Cole at Liam Payne’s funeral.AFP via Getty Images
James Corden at Liam Payne’s funeral.WireImage
Payne’s parents, Geoff and Karen, were spotted shortly after walking next to the late singer’s coffin.
Only family and close friends were invited to the small memorial, per Daily Mail.
Karen and Geoff Payne at Liam Payne’s funeral.REUTERS
Amersham, 27 miles Northwest of Central London in Buckinghamshire, was a fitting location for the English singer’s funeral.
Born in the city of Wolverhampton, 13 miles northwest of Birmingham in the West Midlands, Payne moved to the Buckinghamshire village of Chalfont St Giles after finding fame.
Liam Payne’s parents watch his coffin being carried into funeral.Getty Images
Liam Payne’s coffin at St. Mary’s Church in Amsersham, England.REUTERS
Two weeks earlier, Payne’s father Geoff brought the former One Direction singer’s body back from Argentina, where he passed away on Oct. 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room. He was 31.
Pallbearers carrying Liam Payne’s coffin.WireImage
After an extensive investigation, authorities in Buenos Aires revealed that Payne fractured his skull and died instantly of “very serious injuries.” Officials do not believe his fall was intentional.
ABC News had reported the pop star died with a toxic stew of narcotics in his system, including “pink cocaine” — aka “tusi” — but the prosecutor’s office said Payne only had alcohol, cocaine and an unspecified prescription antidepressant in his system.
Liam Payne is seen on March 1, 2024, in Paris, France.GC Images
Forensic workers and police officers work at the hotel where British singer Liam Payne died in Buenos Aires on Oct. 16, 2024.AFP via Getty Images
Payne began his rise to fame in 2010 after he auditioned for the UK’s “The X Factor,” the singing competition series where he met his future bandmates. Though they all auditioned as individuals, they ended up being put together as a group. Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger, 46, who were judges on the show, have claimed they were responsible for merging the boys’ talent into what became One Direction.
Though 1D didn’t win “The X Factor,” they went on to become one of the biggest pop groups in the world.
A social media selfie video shows former One Direction singer Liam Payne speaking in Sarmiento, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, presumed to be the last videos of Liam Payne alive posted on his Snapchat verified account before his death.via REUTERS
The former bandmates released a joint statement the day after Payne’s shocking death, saying they were “completely devastated.”
Singers Harry Styles (from left), Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne of One Direction attend the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Nov. 23, 2014, in Los Angeles, Calif.Getty Images for DCP
One Direction, with Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, attend the Dome 60 on Nov. 30, 2011, in Duisburg, Germany.Getty Images
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. 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,” they said.
“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”
One Direction posted a tribute on Instagram for Liam Payne on October 17, 2024.Instagram/@onedirection
The following week, Scherzinger, who was texting with Payne on the day he died, remembered the late star with her own tribute on social media, writing, “It’s been so hard to process that you’re no longer here, but I am grateful to have known your kind heart, sweet soul and character.”
In August, it was announced that Scherzinger, who’s currently starring in “Sunset Boulevard” on Broadway, would join forces with Payne, Kelly Rowland and AJ McLean to star in a new Netflix series called “Building the Band.”
Cowell, meanwhile, shared that Payne’s death had brought him to tears.
“Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote on Instagram. “And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”