Final preparations underway outside church ahead of Liam Payne's funeral

The final preparations are underway outside a church where Liam Payne's funeral is set to be held today.

The One Direction star tragically died on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires in Argentina. An investigation was launched into the 31-year-old's death by prosecutors, and three people have since been charged in connection with the incident.

Liam died of multiple traumas and 'internal and external haemorrhage', a post-mortem examination report said. An inquiry into his death remains ongoing.

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Today (November 20) the singer's funeral will be held in the Home Counties, with all of his former One Direction bandmates expected to be among the guests attending. Cheryl, who shares a seven-year-old son Bear with Liam, will also reportedly attend the private funeral, alongside his family, friends and girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

His devastated father Geoff brought his son's body back to the UK two weeks ago so that he could finally be laid to rest. The funeral today will be followed by a wake.

Ahead of the service, preparations are already underway at the church as an array of beautiful flower arrangements have been placed outside the front door of the small church, the Mirror reports.

Early this morning, the flowers were placed above the arch on the entrance to the church, as well as outside ahead of mourners arriving at the service. White roses and autumnal foliage were placed at the entrance of the church as candles lined the path.

Liam's family were dedicated to giving him a perfect final send off, a source revealed. The insider told The Sun: "His family have gone to great lengths to put together the perfect service and give him the send off he deserves.

"Liam may have been a global superstar but to Geoff and Karen he will always be their little boy. It is going to be an incredibly difficult day."

Liam rose to fame alongside Harry 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. 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 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. The singer, 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.

In a joint statement last month after his death, One Direction said: "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."

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