Singer Liam Payne’s funeral is taking place on Wednesday with a string of celebrities among the attendees.
His ex-One Direction bandmate Harry Styles and Girls Aloud singers Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh are among those to arrive at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire ahead of the service. Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has also joined the mourners.
Dozens of locals and fans have also gathered outside the church to pay their final respects to the singer, who died aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
Payne rose to fame alongside Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan when Simon Cowell put them together to form One Direction on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010.
An investigation has been launched into his death by prosecutors, and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.
Follow the latest updates below…
Key Points
Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson have arrived at St Mary’s.
12:53
Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson have also arrived at St Mary’s for Liam Payne’s funeral.
Harry Styles arrives to pay his respects to One Direction co-star
12:50 , Jacob Phillips
Harry Styles has arrived for the funeral service of One Direction singer Liam Payne at St Mary’s Church in Amersham.
It is understood he is the first of Payne’s old boy band members to arrive at the funeral.
JLS star arrives at Liam Payne’s funeral
12:49
JLS star Marvin Humes has arrived at Liam Payne’s funeral.
Boyband JLS said former One Direction star Payne was like their “original fifth member” following his death.
In a social media post, JLS, who were runners-up on the ITV show’s fifth series, said: “We are so shocked and saddened to hear the news this morning that Liam Payne has passed.
“We first met on The X Factor in 2008 and we thought we’d share the experience together but it wasn’t to be.
“Liam was like our original fifth member and we always knew he’d go on to achieve great things.
“To have lost a brother of ours so young is devastating and we will fondly remember the joy and the hope and the happiness he brought to so many people’s lives.
“Our hearts go out to his mum and family, his little boy and all those around the world who will miss him so very deeply. Gone way too soon brother, Rest in Peace.”
Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy arrives for his funeral
12:39
The girlfriend of Liam Payne, Kate Cassidy, has arrived at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
She was pictured outside the church dressed in black and wearing sunglasses.
Kate was accompanied by actor and model Damian Hurley.
First guests arrive at Liam Payne’s funeral
12:28 , Jacob Phillips
The first attendees have arrived at the funeral of singer Liam Payne at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
Girls Aloud singers Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh have been dropped off in front of the church’s entrance wearing long black coats and sunglasses.
Dozens of locals and fans have also gathered outside the church to pay their final respects to the former One Direction star.
‘It’s almost like putting the Disney costume on’ – Liam Payne’s views on fame
12:16 , Jacob Phillips
As early as 2019, Liam Payne told Men’s Heath Australia that he had found his newfound success difficult to deal with and often reached for alcohol as a way to cope.
“It’s almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on,” he said.
“I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic.”
That toxicity was addressed in more detail in his infamous interview with YouTuber Logan Paul in 2022, in which Payne described how he almost “came to blows” with another bandmate backstage.
“I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic.”
That toxicity was addressed in more detail in his infamous interview with YouTuber Logan Paul in 2022, in which Payne described how he almost “came to blows” with another bandmate backstage.
Read more about Liam Payne’s life and his previous interviews here.
How did fans mark Liam Payne’s death?
11:52
Liam Payne’s death was met with an outpouring of emotion from fans and fellow musicians, with a gathering in Kensington Gardens as well as outside the Hotel in Argentina where the singer fell to his death.
Over a hundred fans brought pictures, handwritten notes, balloons, and flowers to Kensington Park in London as a tribute to the One Direction star in the immediate wake of his tragic death.
This was organised as part of a worldwide commemoration which involved fans travelling to the site of the Casa Sur Hotel, where he fell from a balcony.
At the hotel, letters were read aloud by Geoff Payne, who had made the journey to Buenos Aries for the repatriation of his son’s body.
Some floral tributes were later moved to West Park in Payne’s hometown of Wolverhampton.
The 31-year-old’s death prompted heartfelt reactions from his One Direction bandmates as well as celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Robbie Williams.
Zayn Malik delays solo tour for second time after Liam Payne’s death
11:19 , Jacob Phillips
Zayn Malik has rescheduled two Edinburgh shows of his Stairway To The Sky tour “due to unforeseen circumstances”.
The former One Direction member, 31, previously postponed the US leg of his first solo tour to January over the “heartbreaking loss” of band member Liam Payne in Argentina last month.
On Thursday, Malik shared an Instagram story saying: “Due to unforeseen circumstances (the) Zayn Stairway To The Sky Edinburgh show original scheduled for November 20 has been rescheduled for December 8.”
A further date on November 21 at the same O2 Academy Edinburgh venue has been moved to December 9, the post said.
“All tickets for the original show dates will be honoured on the rescheduled dates,” it added.
Read more about Payne and Malik’s friendship here.
Who was Liam Payne?
10:55 , Jacob Phillips
One Direction star Liam Payne achieved worldwide fame at the age of 16 after the boy band was formed in 2010 for the X Factor talent show.
Payne was paired with Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles by TV producer Simon Cowell, forming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
He 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.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, went on to launch a successful solo career, releasing his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.
One of his most well-known songs, For You, was a collaboration between him and singer Rita Ora for the film Fifty Shades Freed.
He and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, who were in a relationship between 2016 and 2018, share a son, Bear.
One Direction released top-charting songs such as ‘One Way or Another’ and ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, hits which helped them secure four UK number one singles.
As early as 2019 the singer told Men’s Heath Australia that he found his overnight success difficult to deal with, saying he never felt “in control” when he was with the band.
Tensions also ran high between bandmates, with Payne revealing to podcaster Logan Paul in 2022 that he almost “came to blows” with a bandmate backstage after he was thrown up against a wall.
In 2021 Payne opened up about alcohol and drug abuse which he struggled to control whilst with the band, having spent 100 days in a rehab facility in Louisiana last year.
Interview with Cheryl Tweedy to air in days following Liam Payne’s funeral
10:35 , Jacob Phillips
Cheryl Tweedy will discuss her son, Bear Payne, in a new TV interview, filmed before the tragic death of Liam Payne.
The interview will air in the days following the funeral of the former One Direction star and will mark her first TV appearance since Payne’s passing at the age of 31 in Argentina last month.
The 41-year-old singer, who shares son Bear with the singer, has remained relatively out of the public eye since the news broke.
Following his death on October 16, Cheryl shared a heartfelt message with fans, stating: “Liam was not only a pop star and a celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend, and a father to our seven-year-old son, a son who now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
You can read more about the interview here.
First pictures from the church where Liam Payne’s funeral will be held
10:25 , Jacob Phillips
Flowers have been arranged at the church where Liam Payne’s funeral will be held.
Large decorative displays have been placed by the entrance to the church alongside a number of candles.
The funeral will be private and attended by just Payne’s family and closest friends.
One Direction stars expected to attend Liam Payne’s funeral
10:16
Several newspapers, including the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror, report that all four of Payne’s former One Direction bandmates, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan, are expected to attend Liam Payne’s funeral to pay their respects.
In a statement following his death, the four said they were “completely devastated” by the former bandmate’s death.
Since then, the singers have individually paid tribute to Payne, who they described as their brother and friend.
Styles described how “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.”
While Horan added: “Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure.”
You can read more about what the One Direction singers said following Payne’s death here.
Funeral to be held for Liam Payne today
10:10 , Jacob Phillips
The funeral of One Direction singer Liam Payne will be held today, with his former band mates, family and girlfriend expected to be among the guests attending.
The 31-year-old died falling from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in October, leading to an outpouring of grief across the globe.
In the days after Payne died hundreds of fans queued in Hyde Park to leave handwritten notes, balloons and flowers at the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens.
