Amersham, England
CNN
—

Liam Payne’s family, friends and former bandmates gathered on Wednesday to pay tribute to the British singer at his funeral in England, just over a month after the One Direction star died in Argentina aged 31.

His former bandmates – Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson – attended the private service at St. Mary’s Church in the town of Amersham, northwest London. The stone brick church was decorated with white roses and candlesticks.

All of Payne’s former bandmates trickled into the venue on Wednesday, where several dozen fans and spectators lined a picturesque street in the picturesque town.

The audience stood in silence watching the guests arrive. Styles was the first One Direction member to emerge from a dark vehicle; He glanced at the mass media before walking into the church.

He was accompanied by TV host and actor James Corden. Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his former partner Cheryl Tweedy, with whom he shares seven-year-old son Bear, were also among the mourners.

Just after 1:00 PM local time (8:00 AM ET), a horse-drawn carriage arrived at the church carrying Payne’s dark blue coffin with silver fittings. Two floral arrangements adorned the top of the white carriage, one reading “son” and the other reading “dad.”

The late singer’s mother cried and his father stood stoically as their son’s coffin was brought in.

Former Girls Aloud singers Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts supported their former bandmate Tweedy by joining guests to pay their respects.

After the private service, a hearse stopped in front of the entrance of the church and bearers brought the coffin outside again. A procession of mourners, dressed in black, walked out along a narrow path.

Simon Cowell, the music mogul who famously helped put One Direction together more than a decade ago, cried and hugged Payne’s parents in front of the church.

Payne died on October 16 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Payne had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system, according to the county’s attorney general’s office, which launched an investigation. Three people are facing preliminary charges for crimes related to his death.

The musician spoke publicly about his challenges with substance abuse and his mental health. In the summer of 2023, he said he was six months sober after completing treatment at a U.S. facility. Later that year, he postponed his tour after suffering a kidney infection.

Payne rose to worldwide fame as part of One Direction, the group formed on the British talent show ‘The X Factor’ in 2010. They became a global phenomenon when they became the first group to debut its first four albums at No. 1 on Billboard 200 and were known for songs such as ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, ‘Best Song Ever’ and ‘Story of My Life’.

He and his former colleagues – Malik, Styles, Horan and Tomlinson – then embarked on solo careers after going on an “indefinite hiatus” in 2016. The band remains one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, selling over 70 copies. million records worldwide.

The quartet was “completely devastated” by his death, according to a joint statement on Instagram.

“We will take time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, whom we loved dearly,” Malik, Styles, Horan and Tomlinson posted on social media. “The memories we shared with him will be cherished forever.

“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

Many fans have hoped for years that One Direction – a band that caused pandemonium and achieved major chart success – would one day reunite.

The tragic sight of four band members arriving for Payne’s funeral underlined the sudden and devastating nature of his death.

“I was so amazed. It brought tears to my eyes,” Caroline Jordan, 58, told CNN on Wednesday. She had held her wedding at St. Mary’s Church and had followed Payne and his bandmates since they first appeared on “The X Factor.”

“I’ve seen him since they started performing as a band,” she said. “He had so much more to give.”

Victoria Horwood, 28, said she drove past Payne’s house every morning as she took her child to school. His music “helped me through a lot of hard times,” Horwood told CNN, and she attended several One Direction concerts.