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Over a month after news broke of his tragic death, Liam Payne has been laid to rest in a private funeral service in London, with a heartbreaking detail spotted by those who attended.
The former One Direction bandmate was laid to rest during a small funeral service attended by friends and family. Among the mourners were all of Payne’s former bandmates, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, as well as the singer’s ex-girlfriend Cheryl Tweedy. Also spotted at the event was X-Factor judge Simon Cowell and talk show host James Corden, alongside Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
While members of the late singer’s family, including his parents Geoff and Karen, were seen at the funeral, it’s not yet known whether Payne’s son, Bear (whom he shared with Tweedy), was in attendance, since he wasn’t pictured. The seven-year-old did make his presence known, however, in the form of a heart-wrenching floral tribute sent for use during the funeral service. Images of the arrangement show the word “Daddy” spelled out in flowers, with reports suggesting the floral tribute was placed on top of Payne’s dark blue coffin.
Bear’s floral arrangement was visible outside St Mary’s Church in Amersham, where the funeral took place. Other heartbreaking details captured during the service were a red garland wreath that read “Son”, and a floral arrangement in the shape of bowling pins in honor of Payne’s favorite pastime.
Both the “Daddy” and “Son” arrangements were sat atop on the white horse-drawn carriage that carried the coffin into the funeral. “My heart breaks for little Bear,” one person wrote in response to the floral arrangement on X, “Such a heartbreaking tribute to his dad.” Others said it was a “truly heart-wrenching tribute,” and that “Liam’s legacy lives on through the love of his son.”
Speaking of the service, a source told The Sun that Payne’s funeral was “an incredibly difficult day” for his family members, adding that the singer’s parents went “to great lengths to put together the perfect service and give him the send-off he deserves.”
The remaining bandmates’ attendance at the funeral follows their respective tributes shared on social media following news of Payne’s death. Tomlinson and Malik described Payne as their “brother,” while Styles said he was “truly devastated” by his friend’s passing. It was one of multiple tributes shared in the wake of the news, with Rita Ora, Paris Hilton, Zedd, Halsey, and William Shatner also reflecting on the devastating loss.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death ruled out the possibility of self-harm and found that Payne was under the influence of multiple drugs at the time of his death. Payne’s body was discovered by authorities after members of the hotel staff made a call to police claiming to hear screams from the late singer’s room. Three people, including one hotel employee, were charged in relation to Payne’s death.
The news placed scrutiny on both X Factor, the show that first catapulted Payne to fame, as well as the cyberbullying he had received in the weeks leading up to his death. Before the funeral, it was reported that Payne’s body was moved from a British cemetery in Buenos Aires to the country’s airport, where it was then flown back to the UK.