One Direction star Liam Payne was laid to rest, with many of his family and friends present at his funeral to say goodbye.
His girlfriend Kate Cassidy had been one of the first to arrive at the church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, alongside her friend and Elizabeth Hurley’s son Damian Hurley.
They joined Payne’s family — dad Geoff, mum Ruth and older sisters Nicola and Ruth — as well as the One Direction stars, Cheryl Tweedy, former The X Factor boss Simon Cowell and more celebrity friends to give him a special send off.
It was a private affair, allowing those close to him to pay tribute as he was laid to rest a month after his death.
Undertakers were seen carrying Payne’s dark blue coffin from the front of the church through the churchyard.
His coffin, which had silver handles, was decorated with a traditional casket spray made up of an abundance of white roses and green foliage.
“Son” and “daddy” were spelled out in two separate floral displays, in red and blue, as a tribute to remember Payne, and they arrived at the church laid out on the top of the carriage. The service was taking place at St Mary’s Church.
Payne’s fellow bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson were there to remember their friend, who they fondly called their “brother” in their goodbye Instagram tributes to the late star.
Styles was accompanied by actor and presenter James Corden at the funeral.
Meanwhile, Horan was supported by his girlfriend Amelia Woolley — whom he has been dating since 2021 — and they arrived at the church together.
Payne and his girlfriend Cassidy had travelled to Argentina to see Horan perform in concert and Horan was the last One Direction star to see him before his death. The One Direction stars had been reunited backstage.
Music mogul Simon Cowell — who stayed in touch with Payne since meeting on The X Factor — has joined the family and friends too.
He was supported by his long-time partner Lauren Silverman, whom he has been dating since 2013. They arrived together at the funeral holding hands.
Cheryl, who shares seven-year-old son Bear with Payne, was supported by the appearance of her Girls Aloud bandmates who attended the service.
Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were dropped off in front of the church’s entrance wearing long black coats and sunglasses.
Following Payne’s death, Cheryl, who was with Payne from 2016 to 2018, said: “Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
The order of service for those attending read “in loving memory of Liam James Payne” and it featured a smiling photograph of the late singer. It also included the date he was born, 29 August 1993, and the date he died on 16 October 2024.
Everyone was wearing traditional black, except Adrian Chiles who paid a poignant tribute to Payne by wearing a West Bromwich Albion jacket.
The singer was a huge West Bromwich Albion fan and he was a season-ticket holder, like Chiles. The radio presenter recently remembered how they bonded over their love of the football club.
He said BBC Radio 5 Live show. “I got to know him when he first did X Factor… He came up to me and said ‘up the Albion’ — he was a West Brom fan. Just as a sign as to how massive he was, I remember we snuck him into a Boxing Day game and I think his mum and dad came and sat with me.”
He added: “But we managed to secrete our man up in the commentary gantry so he didn’t get bothered. Then a friend of mine texted me to ask ‘why are West Brom trending number one on Twitter?’ I went, well it could be because Liam Payne is here and he tweeted he was here and the whole world went mad for it.”
Like Chiles, JLS star Marvin Humes met Payne on The X Factor. The JLS star was joined at the funeral by his wife Rochelle Humes.
Humes remained friends with Payne throughout his singing career after their first meeting on The X Factor in 2008. Payne wouldn’t find fame until two years later alongside Styles, Tomlinson, Malik and Horan when Cowell put them together to form One Direction on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010.
During their five year career they sold 70million records with four number one albums.
Also in attendance at the funeral were Capital radio DJs Chris Stark, Jordan North and Sian Welby.
The singer was a close friend of Capital Radio throughout his career. From his One Direction days to his solo career, Payne visited the station many times.
BBC Radio 2 host Scott Mills was there to say goodbye to his friend, having spent a lot of time with One Direction in the early days of their career.
Former professional footballer Robbie Keane was also there to pay his respects.
An eyewitness from the scene described how it was a respectful atmosphere as family and friends gathered to remember the One Direction star.
Rosemary Nicholson, 57, told Yahoo: “I’m happy that only locals knew about this. He deserves a respectful and peaceful send off, in honour of his son, Bear, and family.
“I’ve watched Liam grow up on TV, and from all of his interviews, you can see how genuine and kind he was. I’ve been here about an hour now, and the feeling is solemn.
“The crowd is slowly building, but everyone is here to pay their respects, and not to interfere.”
Payne, 31, died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. He had been on holiday with his girlfriend Cassidy but she had flown home to Florida two days before his death.
The singer had been in the South American country visiting his former bandmate Horan who was in Argentina on tour.
Payne had first auditioned in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Cowell telling him to return to the talent show two years later.
In 2010 he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s version of Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.
Thousands of One Direction fans across the world have continued to hold vigils in Payne’s memory following his death. People gathered in the streets in the Home Counties ahead of the funeral taking place too.
His family, from Wolverhampton, said they were “heartbroken” at his death when the news broke and said: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
Cassidy — who first met Payne in October 2022 — previously said she and Payne had discussed getting married before his death.
An investigation has been launched into his death by prosecutors, and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.