One Direction stars gather for former bandmate Liam Payne's funeral

Liam Payne's family, friends and former bandmates came together to pay tribute to the One Direction star at his funeral in England on Wednesday, a month after the singer died at the age of 31 after falling from an Argentine hotel balcony.

Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson accompanied Payne, who performed at Superstardom as one of the UK's largest boy bands, at a service in Amersham, northwest London, respectively, on May 1.

The crew delivered Payne's dark blue coffin to Flintstone Church, decorated with white roses and candlesticks. The top of the white carriage was decorated with two floral arrangements, one of which read "Son" and the other "Dad".Payne's parents saw his mother crying as the coffin with the body of the late singer was carried inside.

After the service, music mogul Simon Cowell, who led the creation of the band on the British reality show "The X Factor" in 2010, comforted Payne's mother and father.

Wednesday's funeral was the culmination of a stunning but ultimately tragic story that has captivated generations of music fans. One Direction broke all the chart records that have existed since the legendary performance of The Beatles in the 1960s, and influenced the revival of the boy band in popular culture.

The singer died after falling from the 3rd floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on September 16.

According to the National Prosecutor's Office, which launched an investigation, alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants were found in Payne's body. Three people have been provisionally charged with crimes related to his death.

"He could have given a lot more."

Details of Payne's personal funeral were carefully concealed until Wednesday morning, when activity in Ameshem gradually decreased, but increased on a clear morning.

Payne had a house a short drive from the picturesque town, as did Cheryl Tweedy, the former girl aloud singer, whom he shared with his 7・year-old son Bear.

Some viewers had stories about the singers collected either directly or through friends. Others have been listening to Payne's music since he first performed on the X Factor when he was 16 years old."

"I was so amazed. I had tears in my eyes," Caroline Jordan, 58, told CNN. She held her wedding in the same church. "I've seen him since they started performing as a band," she said. "He could have given a lot more.”

Many fans have been hoping for years that One Direction, the band that created Pandaemonium and achieved frenzied chart success, would one day reunite. Instead, one by one, they looked gloomily at their idols getting out of the black car and preparing to pay their respects to their bandmates.

Before entering the church, he glanced at the media representatives. He was the last of the group to leave after the service and get into a car with TV presenter James Corden.

Tomlinson and Malik arrived at the church at the same time in different cars, shortly before Horan. Former Girls vocalists Kimberly Walsh and Nicola Roberts supported their former bandmate Tweedy by joining guests, including Payne's girlfriend at the time of his death, Kate Cassidy.

He retired after the 2015 season, but announced his retirement. It would seem to be a positive word, but some participants, including Payne, talked about the tension caused by spending intense and fruitful time together in the following years.

Their stay at the forefront of pop music lasted 6 years and spread all over the world. Thanks to such popular radio anthems as "Best Song Ever" and "Story of My Life", the band became the first band to take the first place in the Billboard200 rating.

London, United Kingdom - May 22: Liam Payne performs in One Direction at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo on May 22, 2012 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Joseph Okpako /Movie Magic)

After the breakup of the band, Payne embarked on a solo career and achieved success with several singles, including "Strip It Down".But he has spoken publicly about his substance abuse and mental health issues. In the summer of 2023, he said that after completing treatment in one of the US clinics, he had not been drinking for 6 months. Later that year, he postponed the tour due to a kidney infection.

According to a joint statement on Instagram, the quartet was "completely devastated" by his death. "It takes time to mourn the loss of a brother we loved very much," Malik, Stiles, Horan and Tomlinson wrote on social media. The memories that we shared with him will be kept forever.

This feeling is shared by countless fans. Victoria Horwood, 28, drove past Payne's house every morning as she drove her children to school. His music "helped me through many difficult times," she said, and she attended several One Direction concerts.

"It's nice that they all come together for him and put him first," she said of her bandmates.

Alice Chapman, 40, was just as upset. She joined the crowd in Amersham and said: "Let his mom drive down the road and see how many people are out on the street.”