Liam Payne‘s funeral is set to take place in the Home Counties on Wednesday, with his family, girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his former One Direction bandmates expected to attend.
The entrance of the church which is hosting the service has been decorated with candle lanterns and white roses that have been arranged in surrounding shrubbery.
A local, Rosemary Nicholson, 57, told Yahoo: “I’m happy that only locals knew about this. He deserves a respectful and peaceful send off, in honour of his son, Bear, and family. I’ve watched Liam grow up on TV, and from all of his interviews, you can see how genuine and kind he was. I’ve been here about an hour now, and the feeling is solemn. The crowd is slowly building, but everyone is here to pay their respects, and not to interfere.”
Payne, 31, died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, according to a post-mortem examination, after falling from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires on 16 October.
He had been in the South American country visiting his former bandmate Niall Horan who was in Argentina on tour.
Payne rose to fame alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan when Simon Cowell put them together to form One Direction on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010. During their five year career they sold 70million records with four number one albums.
He had first auditioned in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Cowell telling him to return to the talent show two years later.
In 2010 he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s version of Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.
Thousands of One Direction fans across the world have continued to hold vigils in Payne’s memory following his death.
His family, from Wolverhampton, said they were “heartbroken” at his passing and said: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
Following his death, Cheryl, who was with Payne from 2016 to 2018, said: “Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
Cassidy — who first met Payne in October 2022 — previously said she and Payne had discussed getting married before his death.
An investigation has been launched into his death by prosecutors, and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.