Liam Payne funeral: Singer’s parents and ex Cheryl Cole attend service

The funeral of former One Direction star Liam Payne took place on Wednesday, November 20, with his bandmates, parents and 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. After an investigation, a friend of the deceased singer, a Buenos Aires hotel employee and an alleged drug dealer were accused of abandoning 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 details regarding the location or times 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 present were his parents, two sisters and his seven-year-old son, Bear, with his mother, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl. TV host and actor James Corden and Simon Cowell, who created The X Factor show where One Direction was discovered was also present.

Mourners watched as the singer’s coffin arrived at the church via a horse-drawn hearse and pallbearers brought the casket, which was topped with white roses, inside. There was also a tribute of laced flowers spelling out the word “Dad” outside the church.

In a statement after his death, the former One Direction members said they were “completely devastated by the news of Payne’s passing. In time, when everyone is able, there will be more to say.

“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother whom we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be cherished forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and friends. The fans who loved him next to us. We will miss you terribly, Liam.

What are the home counties?

The exact details of the ceremony were kept private, with it only being known that it was being held in the Home Counties, which refers to the English counties surrounding London.

While counties are not precisely defined, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey are typically included in the definition as they all, except Berkshire, 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 looking to move out into the countryside.

The origin of the term is unknown, but it may have arisen in Tudor times to refer to regions where high-ranking officials lived when 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 separated, Liam helped Cheryl buy a property where she raised their son with his mother.

Liam Payne’s career highlights

One Direction finished in third place 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.