The funeral of One Direction singer Liam Payne will be held today [Wednesday, November 20] at a church in the Home Counties.

The 31-year-old had lived in a Chalfont St Giles mansion before his shock death on October 16, where he fell from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

The service will be attended by Payne’s family and friends, with girlfriend Kate Cassidy also reported to be there.

His former bandmates Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson are also expected to be present.

Another guest who is anticipated to attend is Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy.

The two dated between 2016 and 2018, resulting in the birth of their son, Bear, in March 2017.

Following their separation a year later, Payne sold his properties in Surrey and California, to purchase Foxwood, a £3 million mansion in Chalfont St Giles.

This was to be close to Tweedy and his son, who currently reside in Chalfont St Peter.

Fans from across the globe have continued to hold vigils in memory of Payne following his death, with many taking place in Argentina and his home city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands.

He died of multiple traumas and ‘internal and external haemorrhage’ a post-mortem examination report said.

An investigation has been launched into his death by prosecutors, and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.

Payne rose to fame alongside Styles, Tomlinson, Malik and  Horan when music manager Simon Cowell, and singer Nicole Scherzinger put them together to form One Direction on the ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010.

They had all auditioned as solo artists.

Payne 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 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.

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, went on to launch a successful solo career, releasing his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.

One of his most well-known songs, For You, was a collaboration between him and singer Rita Ora for the film Fifty Shades Freed.

Despite the funeral taking place in the Home Counties, the location of the service on November 20 has not been made public.

The list of Home Counties is as follows:

  • Berkshire
  • Buckinghamshire
  • Essex
  • Hertfordshire
  • Kent
  • Surrey