Liam Payne's funeral location pays homage to son Bear and Cheryl relationship

The funeral of One Direction star Liam Payne is set to take place today in the Home Counties, following his tragic death in South America. The 31 year old singer tragically died on October 16 after falling from the third floor balcony of his hotel room in Argentina, with an autopsy revealing he suffered internal and external bleeding as a result of the fall.

The funeral has been kept relatively private, with only his closest friends and family expected to attend. Former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson are all expected to reunite for the occasion, according to the Mirror.

The ceremony will be completely private and closed off to the public, with the singer set to be buried in one of the Home Counties - the counties surrounding London, including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. Liam had close ties to the area, having lived there with partner Cheryl and their son Bear during their relationship.

After their split, Liam helped Cheryl purchase a £3.7 million mansion in the area for her and Bear. It was initially believed that the funeral would take place in Wolverhampton, where Liam grew up before finding fame.

The Wolverhampton memorial is brimming with tributes as fans grieve the loss of a beloved singer. Social media images reveal an array of colourful flowers, heartfelt letters, candles, balloons, teddy bears and photos celebrating the life of the much-adored artist, reports the Daily Record.

Following his passing in October, his One Direction bandmates shared a collective statement on Instagram: "We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say."

"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 Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry."

Each band member also posted individual tributes, with Harry Styles expressing his devastation on Instagram: "His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it. Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X."

Louis Tomlinson penned a heartfelt message for Liam, referring to him as "my boy, one of my best friends, my brother". He expressed: "I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I'm really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I'm so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours , reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I'd have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn't to be."