By Akshata KAPOOR
Family and friends of One Direction star Liam Payne, who died last month after falling from a Buenos Aires hotel room, gathered for his funeral in Britain on Wednesday.
Payne’s former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson were among mourners at the private service at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, just outside London.
The late singer’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy also attended, as did his former partner, the Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy.
Around a dozen fans watched on from behind a nearby cordon as guests hugged each other before walking past floral tributes into the 12th century church to pay their final respects to the singer.
Payne’s coffin arrived in a white horse-drawn hearse topped with floral tributes spelling the words “Son” and “Daddy” followed by his parents.
Payne was found dead on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his third-floor room at the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentinian capital.
His death, aged 31, prompted a global outpouring of grief from family, former bandmates and fans with thousands gathering in cities around the world to offer condolences.
Payne shot to stardom as a teenager alongside Styles, Horan, Tomlinson and Malik after the band were formed on hit UK talent show “The X Factor” 14 years ago.
Payne died from “multiple traumas” and “internal and external haemorrhaging” after the fall from the hotel, a post-mortem examination found.
The balcony attached to his room overlooked a rear patio that was about 14 meters (45 feet) high.
Hotel staff had called emergency services twice to report a guest “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol” who was “destroying” a hotel room.
Investigators have said he was alone at the time and appeared to have been “going through an episode of substance abuse”.
In a short statement following his death, Payne’s family said: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
One Direction said they had been “completely devastated” by his death.
After forming in 2010, the band went on to release an album of radio-ready songs each year in time for the holiday shopping season and became one of the highest-grossing live acts in the world.
In 2016, after Malik left, the group said it was on an indefinite hiatus but not splitting up.
Payne’s first solo single “Strip That Down” peaked at number three on the UK charts and number 10 on the US Billboard top songs list.
But in recent years he had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and coping with fame from an early age.
His last solo work, a single called “Teardrops”, was released in March, with a second album promised at the time.
Payne was born and raised in Wolverhampton, in central England. He is survived by his parents, two sisters and a son with Cheryl Tweedy.
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© Agence France-Presse