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Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates gather for an emotional funeral service
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Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates gather for an emotional funeral service

Liam Payne’s family, friends and fans have gathered to pay tribute to the late star.

On Wednesday, November 20, the late singer’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan were among those in attendance to remember Payne – who died on October 16 aged 31 – in a funeral service held in a 12th-century church in the English countryside northwest of London.

The musician’s ex, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, with whom he shared seven-year-old son Bear Grey, was also in attendance, along with Payne’s friend James Corden and One Direction co-creator Simon Cowell, who helped launch the band’s career launch. The X factor in 2010. Cowell was accompanied by his fiancée Lauren Silverman.

Payne died after falling several stories from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Harry Styles attends Liam Payne’s funeral on Wednesday, November 20.

Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty


On November 7, a press release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 revealed that the former One Direction member’s toxicology results showed traces of “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system.

Prosecutors also said in the release that “self-harm of any kind and/or physical intervention by third parties were ruled out” as contributing factors to his death.

A forensic physician ruled Payne’s death was caused by “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding” as a result of the fall, the release said.

Prosecutors also concluded that the “Strip That Down” singer “was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decline or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall.”

Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson arrive at Liam Payne’s funeral.

Karwai Tang/WireImage (2)


On October 23, Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, had traveled to Argentina and was cooperating with authorities in the investigation into his death.

Buenos Aires police found Payne’s hotel room “in total disarray” after the singer’s death. Minutes before the balcony collapsed, hotel staff alerted emergency services and reported in a 911 call that the singer had “destroyed the room,” officials said.

A source close to the late singer’s 25-year-old girlfriend Cassidy, who attended the funeral with boyfriend Damian Hurley, told PEOPLE that his “erratic behavior started to increase” when she left their vacation.

Kate Cassidy and Damian Hurley.

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty


“As you could see from the Snapchat videos, he was a different person around her,” the insider told PEOPLE after his death.

Following his death, producer Sam Pounds announced the release of Payne’s first posthumous song entitled “Do No Wrong.” However, he subsequently canceled the release out of respect for Payne’s family.

“Today I’m deciding to ‘Do No Wrong’ and leave these freedoms to all family members. I want all proceeds to go to a charity of their choice (or however they choose),” he wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Cheryl.

Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty


Pounds continued: “Even though we all love the song, it’s not time yet. We are all still in the morning (sic) of Liam’s passing and I want the family to morning (sic) in peace and prayers. We will all wait. ”

Payne is also set to star in Netflix’s upcoming music competition series Building the bond as a guest judge. Following his sudden death, the fate of the show – which also stars Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and AJ McLean – remains unclear.

Zayn Malik.

Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty


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A source told PEOPLE that the series’ producers were shocked by the news — and that he was so fulfilled by the experience that he wanted to continue working with bands after production ended.

“Liam seemed so genuinely happy to be on set. He looked healthy and smiling during all his interactions with fans, signing things and talking to them between takes,” said a PEOPLE employee who was on set in late August was. “He had a great time doing what he loved and showed no signs of underlying problems.”