By Variety | Created at 2024-11-20 13:52:23 | Updated at 2024-11-27 04:58:08
6 days ago
Liam Payne‘s former One Direction bandmates — Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson — all attended the late singer’s funeral on Wednesday.
Dressed in black, the four musicians were photographed separately as they each entered the church where the private service is taking place in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England. Kate Cassidy, Payne’s girlfriend at the time of his death, and Cheryl Cole, the mother of his son Bear, were also in attendance. Payne’s coffin arrived to the church in a white horse-drawn carriage, with flowers decorating it spelling out the words “son” and “daddy.”
Payne died on Oct. 16 at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
One Direction — which went on indefinite hiatus in 2016 — shared a joint statement to its social media account the following day, saying they were “completely devastated” by Payne’s death.
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,” the band wrote. “But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
One Direction formed in 2010 after each member auditioned as a solo act for the U.K. show “The X Factor.” They went on to place third in the competition and were then signed by judge Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment. The group went on to become one of the highest-selling boy bands of all time, with hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Story of My Life.”
Horan had been the last of the band members to see Payne in person, as Payne had attended Horan’s show in Buenos Aires just two weeks before his death. “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking,” Horan wrote in a personal tribute.
“All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”
