The funeral of former One Direction star Liam Payne took place on Wednesday, November 20, with his bandmates, parentsand ex-partner in attendance.
The singer died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel, located in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, on October 16. He was 31 years old. Following an investigation, a friend of the late singer, a Buenos Aires hotel employee and an alleged drug dealer were charged with the abandonment of a person followed by death.
Payne’s family wanted to make the funeral as private as possible, with only family members and close friends in attendance; no specifics regarding the location or timings were revealed, except that it took place in Buckinghamshire, a home county in southeast England.
Former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were at the private service, as was Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. Others in attendance included his parents, two sisters and his seven-year-old son, Bear, with his mother, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl. TV presenter and actor James Corden and Simon Cowell, who created the X Factor show where One Direction was discovered, were also present.
Mourners watched as the singer’s casket arrived at the church via a horse-drawn hearse and pallbearers brought the coffin, which was topped with white roses, inside. There was also a laced floral tribute spelling out the word “daddy” outside the church.
In a statement following his death, the former One Direction members said they were “completely devastated by the news of Payne’s passing. 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. 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.”
What Are the Home Counties?
The exact details of the ceremony were kept private, with it only being known that it was held in the home counties, which refers to the counties of England surrounding London.
While the counties are not precisely defined, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey are typically included in the definition as, except Berkshire, they all border London. Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, East Sussex and West Sussex are also sometimes considered part of the home counties. They are a popular location for Londoners wishing to relocate to the countryside.
The origin of the term is unknown, but it could have arisen in Tudor times to refer to regions where high-ranking officials lived as it was convenient to travel to London quickly.
Payne was familiar with the area as he lived in Surrey with Cheryl and their son Bear in the early years of their relationship. When the couple split, Liam assisted Cheryl in purchasing a property in which she raised their son with her mother.
Liam Payne’s Career Highlights
One Direction finished third on The X Factor in 2010, but quickly signed a record deal with Simon Cowell‘s label Syco Music.
Their breakout song “What Makes You Beautiful,” as well as “Night Changes,” “Story of My Life,” and “Drag Me Down” all have over 1 billion Spotify streams. Despite the group going on hiatus in 2016, One Direction has over 42 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
After the band split, Payne pursued a solo career and saw success with songs like “Bedroom Floor,” “Get Low,” and “Strip That Down” – the latter of which has over 1 billion Spotify streams.
He most recently released his song “Teardrops,” which was co-written by NSYNC’s JC Chasez.
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