The Daily Star Ireland
The members of One Direction reunited with music mogul Simon Cowell to attend the funeral of their bandmate, Liam Payne, who passed away at the age of 31 last month. Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson joined other attendees at the private service in Buckinghamshire to honor Payne’s memory.
Among the mourners was former Ireland football captain Robbie Keane. Styles, dressed in black, arrived in a BMW with TV personality James Corden, and the two headed straight into the church. Cowell arrived with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman.
A horse-drawn carriage delivered a dark blue coffin with silver handles, adorned with white roses, to the church. Floral tributes on top of the carriage included a red arrangement reading “son” and a blue one saying “daddy,” in reference to Payne’s son, Bear, whom he shares with Cheryl Tweedy.
The atmosphere turned solemn as Payne’s parents, Geoff and Karen, exited a vehicle and stood behind the reverend by the carriage. Also present were Payne’s girlfriend, US influencer Kate Cassidy, and Damian Hurley, the son of model Elizabeth Hurley.
Girls Aloud members Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh arrived in long black coats and sunglasses, being dropped off at St Mary’s Church in Amersham. Prior to the service, fans and locals gathered outside to pay their respects to Payne, who tragically passed away on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Fans around the world held vigils in Payne’s memory, including a tribute shrine in his hometown of Wolverhampton. A post-mortem revealed that Payne died from multiple traumas and internal and external hemorrhages, and three people have been arrested in connection with his death.
Payne gained fame as a member of One Direction, formed by Simon Cowell on The X Factor in 2010. After the band’s success, Payne launched a solo career, releasing his debut album LP1 in December 2019, which featured hits like “Polaroid” and “Strip That Down” with Quavo.
