Funeral directors place a floral tribute which says "Daddy" outside the funeral service of One Direction singer Liam Payne at St Mary's Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.(Image: PA)

Famous Liam Payne friend defended over outfit to funeral

by · NottinghamshireLive

Football enthusiasts, Liam Payne admirers, and fans of Adrian Chiles have rallied around following some criticisms of Chiles' outfit at Liam's funeral earlier this week. The sombre occasion marked the final farewell to Liam, who tragically died at the young age of 31 on October 16, after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Following weeks of pain and effort by his father Geoff to bring his son's body home, loved ones gathered in old Amersham, including ITV's Adrian Chiles, who stood out with his football-themed attire. Opting to wear a football jacket emblazoned with both Adidas and West Bromwich Albion badges, Adrian's apparel choice sparked debate online.

One person took to Twitter to scathingly comment: "Bizarre going to a funeral wearing football gear. Shocking," igniting a flurry of defence for Adrian and Liam. Among the supporters, one particularly vehement response was: "You know exactly what you're doing here. Trying to hint that this is funny and odd when it's because Liam was a massive Baggies (West Bromwich Albion) fan and they used to watch games together. Shame on you," underpinning the sentiment behind Adrian's chosen garb.

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"Liam Payne was a massive West Brom fan, he would have loved Adrian Chile's turning up at his funeral in that club jacket," another fan noted, highlighting the touching tribute to Liam's dedication to the team. One person defended the situation, saying: "Even as a Villa fan I can appreciate this. Liam Payne was a massive West Brom fan and Chiles is one of their most high profile supporters. It was also brass monkeys weather today. This tweet is a bit of a low blow," according to the Mirror, reports the Irish Mirror.

After Liam's death, Adrian Chiles discussed their friendship on his BBC Radio 5 Live show, stating: "I got to know him when he first did X Factor. He came up to me and said 'up the Albion' - he was a West Brom fan.

"Just as a sign as to how massive he was, I remember we snuck him into a Boxing Day game and I think his mum and dad came and sat with me. But we managed to secrete our man up in the commentary gantry so he didn't get bothered.

Adrian Chiles arrives at the funeral of Liam Payne,(Image: Tony Kershaw / SWNS)

"Then a friend of mine texted me to ask 'why are West Brom trending number one on Twitter? ' I went, well it could be because Liam Payne is here and he tweeted he was here and the whole world went mad for it."

Liam, a former member of One Direction, was a season ticket holder at the Hawthorns, and the club shared a heartfelt tribute to him after hearing the news of his passing. "We're shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician, Liam Payne," the club posted on social media.

"Our thoughts are with Liam's family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time," added the club.