Liam Payne’s funeral took place on Wednesday in south-east England, just over a month after the One Direction star died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires. Payne was laid to rest during a private funeral service with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Mailk, and Louis Tomlinson in attendance to pay their respects to their fellow One Direction member. The deceased casket arrived at the church in a white horse-drawn carriage shortly after a number of mourning attendees arrived. Among them appeared Payne’s parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, as well as Simon Cowell, James Corden, Jamie Scott, and Rochelle Humes. Girls Aloud members Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts attended in support of Cheryl Cole, who shares a 7-year-old son with Payne. The service was closed to the public, but a number of fans and photographers gathered on the streets outside of the venue. Most fans took more respectful approaches to mourning the musician, including gathering at vigils and memorials in cities throughout the world in the days and weeks after he died. The singer, 31, had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he fell from the third floor on Oct. 16, an autopsy revealed. Payne died of multiple traumas, internal and external bleeding, and a cranial injury as a result of his fall from the third story of the CasaSur hotel in Palermo. Three people — a friend of Payne, a hotel worker, and an alleged drug dealer — have been charged with supplying the singer with the drugs twice before his death. Argentinian authorities released his body earlier this month, allowing it to be flown back to Britain for burial. In a short statement following his death, Liam’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.” In a joint statement, his One Direction bandmates said they were “completely devastated.” “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,” they said on Instagram. Payne achieved global fame with the boyband, which was formed on British talent show “The X Factor” in 2010. Despite only coming third on the show, the band sold over 70 million records, with four number one albums on the Billboard Hot 200. Payne also achieved some solo success with tracks like Strip That Down and Bedroom Floor.
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