One Direction stars join mourners at Liam Payne’s funeral, Entertainment News

AMERSHAM, England — Former members of boy band One Direction were among the mourners at the funeral of their bandmate Liam Payne on Wednesday, Nov. 20, just a month after he died at the age of 31.

Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson joined Liam’s family and friends for the private church service in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, north-west London.

Liam’s former partner, pop star Cheryl Cole, with whom he has a seven-year-old son, was photographed leaving the army.

The singer and songwriter was found dead after falling from the balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, causing great sadness to his fans around the world.

The coffin arrived at the church in a white carriage drawn by two white horses and decorated with flowers inscribed with the words “Son” and “Father”.

Attendees included Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy, actor and TV presenter James Corden and music mogul Simon Cowell, who created One Direction for Britain’s X Factor talent show.

The group rose to worldwide fame after appearing on the show in the 2010s, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

With their messy hair and youthful charm, the band members became teen idols with hit singles such as What Makes You Beautiful, Live While We’re Young, Best Song Ever and Story of My Life.

((nid:710989))

Speaking outside the church, fan Victoria Horwood, 28, said she had been following Liam since he appeared on the X Factor and was shaken by his death. “I just wanted to pay my respects,” he said.

Liam, who was just a teenager when One Direction achieved global success, struggled with the pressures of fame and later opened up about his problems with alcohol.

“Don’t get me wrong, we had the best time ever, but there were moments where… you don’t realize you have a choice at that point,” he said in 2021. “There’s a sacrifice involved in this.”

After One Direction’s breakup in 2016, he began his solo career and released his debut album in 2019.

Argentine authorities charged three people with Payne’s death after an autopsy revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in Payne’s body when he died.

((nid:709106))