Liam Payne’s funeral took place yesterday and saw his former One Direction band members all reunite for the first time since 2015 to pay their respects and say goodbye.
Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik all arrived separately, followed by his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his parents – Geoff and Karen Payne.
Simon Cowell attended with fiancée Lauren Silverman, while Cheryl Tweedy, mother to Liam’s seven-year-old son Bear, was also present.
The service featured touching personal tributes, including floral displays of bowling pins and a ball, reflecting Payne’s love of the sport.
The ceremony concluded around 2pm, with mourners gathering outside the church in a moving display of grief.
Payne’s final act of kindness was revealed yesterday in his funeral order of service, which urged mourners to donate to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Liam Payne’s former bandmates reunited for the first time since 2015
PA
The booklet distributed at the service read: “Thank you for attending the service and thank you for all the kind messages received.
“Liam would like you to make a donation. In memory of Liam, we’d like you to consider Great Ormond Street Hospital.”
Great Ormond Street Hospital shared a heartfelt message about how the donations would help build a new Children’s Cancer Centre.
“Your donation today will continue Liam’s legacy by helping to build a brand-new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital,” the hospital stated.
Liam Payne’s funeral took place yesterday
PA
“This incredible new building will help give seriously ill children childhoods that are fuller, funner and longer.”
The gesture aligns with the late One Direction star’s recent efforts supporting fundraisers for unwell children.
In the weeks before his death, Liam had been making donations to GoFundMe campaigns for ill children needing surgeries in America.
“As a father, it hits me differently,” he had said. “I can’t look at a sick child and not see Bear. I would want everyone in the world helping.”
The star was also a generous supporter of The Trussell Trust food bank charity, having funded over 360,000 meals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Emma Revie, CEO of The Trussell Trust, praised his “compassion and kindness” towards people facing hunger and hardship.
Liam Payne’s son Bear paid a sweet tribute to his father’s funeral
PA
Liam Payne tragically passed away on October 16, aged 31, after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.
Argentine prosecutors have recently ruled out speculation of suicide, stating in a translated statement: “In the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing and could not understand it.”
The singer had been in Argentina to support former bandmate Niall Horan during a performance and was extending his stay to renew his US visa when the tragic incident occurred.
