The funeral of former One Direction singer Liam Payne who died last month after falling from his Buenos Aires hotel room will be held on Wednesday, UK media reported.
On October 16, Payne fell to his death from the balcony of his third-story room in CasaSur. He was 31.
The cause of death has been attributed to the multiple traumas, internal and external bleeding he sustained as a result of his fatal fall, a post-mortem examination found.
The tragic death prompted a global outpouring of grief from family, former bandmates, fans and others, with thousands gathering in cities around the world to offer their condolences.
Payne's family, friends and other One Direction members are expected to attend the private funeral in southern England.
Payne was best known in One Direction for his falsettos that became an integral part of the band’s chart-topping bubblegum pop hits — “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Best Song Ever,” “Story of My Life,” “Night Changes,” among numerous others.
As one of the highest-selling boy bands in modern history, the quintet sold over 70 million records worldwide during their time together between 2010 and 2016.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Payne made his start in the music industry as a competitor on “The X Factor” in 2008 when he was 14 years old.
He was cut from the show after judge Simon Cowell told him he was too young to continue and requested for him to come back when he was older.
It was also during this audition that Payne first met Cheryl Cole, whom he began officially dating in 2016.
Cole was a judge alongside Cowell and Louis Walsh.
They broke up in 2018 and share one child, Bear Grey Payne.
Payne auditioned for “The X Factor” for a second time in 2010, singing Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me a River,” which earned him four greenlights and a standing ovation from Cowell.
He was then famously placed in a group by judge Nicole Scherzinger, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
They finished third on the show and were subsequently signed to Cowell’s Syco Entertainment.
The world was first introduced to One Direction through video diaries produced and distributed by “The X Factor.”
It was through these “diaries” that fans began to identify the members and their personalities and tropes, with Payne being deemed the most responsible or most “brotherly” member of the group.
They were coached by Cowell and a team of vocal coaches on “The X Factor,” including Savan Kotecha, who co-wrote One Direction’s debut single “What Makes You Beautiful,” and would go on to write several more songs for the band from 2011 to 2013.
One Direction announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016, just one year after Malik became the first member to exit in pursuit of a solo career.
Payne signed a solo record deal with Capitol Records UK in July 2016 (Republic Records served as Payne’s U.S.-based record label).
He began releasing music as a solo act in 2017, starting with the single “Strip That Down” featuring Migos member Quavo.
The song, co-written by Ed Sheeran, cracked the top 10 in the United States and peaked at No. 3 in their native homeland U.K.
Payne released his debut album “LP1” in December 2019, reaching No. 17 in the U.K.
Earlier this year, the late singer put out his latest single “Teardrops,” accompanied by an acoustic version.
Payne was open about his struggles with drinking and suicidal thoughts.
Last year, he had completed more than three months of sobriety.
“I’m sober now, over 100 days,” he told IFL TV. “I feel amazing, I feel really, really good and the support from the fans has been really, really good, so I’m super happy.”
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne.
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