Liam Payne's final farewell: Girlfriend leads mourners as family, friends and bandmates gather for star's service
by Danielle de Wolfe · LBCBy Danielle de Wolfe
Mourners including the girlfriend, family and band mates of One Direction singer Liam Payne have arrived at the star's funeral on Wednesday.
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Liam died aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
The funeral, which is being held in the Home Counties, has seen a host of famous faces in attendance as the world says their final goodbyes to the star.
Shortly after midday, mourners began to arrive at the church, with Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy in attendance.
Other notable stars arriving for the service include Payne's One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.
Niall Horan and his girlfriend Amelia Woolley have been dropped off by a black Range Rover.
They went straight inside St Mary's Church.
Styles was seen to arrive alongside comedian and talk show host James Cordon in a chauffeur driven BMW.
Members of fellow reality show band Girls Aloud were also spotted stepping into the church, as singers Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh entered wearing long black coats and sunglasses.
Earlier this morning, beautiful flowers in autumnal colours were arranged outside the entrance to the church where his funeral is being held.
Floral arrangements included a giant set of bowling pins - a tribute to the stars love of the game.
JLS star Marvin Humes and his wife, The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes, also arrived to pay tribute to Liam Payne's funeral.
Boy band JLS met Payne when he first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 and they continued to be friends throughout his career in One Direction.
Simon Cowell also made an appearance, making him one of the last mourners to arrive at the church.
The music mogul is cited as first discovering Payne's talent, after the then-teenager appeared on his hit talent show, the X Factor.
Fans from across the globe have continued to hold vigils in memory of Payne following his death.
In a joint statement released in the wake of Liam’s tragic death, his One Direction bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles said they were ‘completely devastated’.
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,' they said.
“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.”
He died of multiple traumas and "internal and external haemorrhage", a post-mortem examination report said.
An investigation has been launched into his death by prosecutors, and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.
One Direction formed on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010.
Payne had first auditioned in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Simon Cowell telling him to return to the talent show two years later.
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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.
Liam, 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.