Liam Payne’s funeral is set to be held this week, three weeks after the tragic death of the former One Direction star after he fell from the balcony of his hotel room in Argentina.
The 31-year-old died in Buenos Aires, leaving his family, friends, and fans heartbroken. Liam’s father Geoff travelled to Argentina following his son’s death and was forced to wait until authorities in the South American country allowed his body to be released and returned to the UK.
Details of Liam’s funeral have not yet been made public, and it’s likely to be a private celebration of his life. His funeral comes after thousands of fans held vigils across the world to pay tribute to the star.
Currently, it’s unclear whether Liam’s former bandmates will attend the funeral, but it has been claimed that some of Liam’s famous friends will be in attendance, reports the Mirror. A source revealed that there will be a “series of song tributes” at the funeral as Liam “loved singing and making music until the end”.
The source told Radar Online: “Liam’s funeral is going to be packed with A-listers as he was so well-loved in the showbiz community, and so many of them are so sad about his tragic death.
“His family want to keep his farewell low-key and respectful, as it’s what Liam would have wanted as he was so down to earth. But there are going to be a series of song tributes from some very big acts as he loved singing and making music until the end.”
Following Liam’s heartbreaking death, his former 1D bandmate Zayn Malik was due to perform in the US as part of his ‘Stairway to the Sky’ tour but decided to postpone the dates and reschedule them for January.
However, Zayn did not comment on his concerts in the UK, which are set to begin in Edinburgh on November 20. This would mean – if he attends the funeral – he will likely need to fly to the UK. Other bandmates have not shared any details about whether they will be at the funeral.
Liam first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 at the tender age of 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon. He returned to the talent contest two years later aged 16, when One Direction was formed alongside Niall Horan,Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles.
The group went on to be one of the biggest boybands in the world. Following his devastating death, a petition calling for legislation to protect the mental health of artists in the entertainment industry was launched on Charge.org.
The petition seeks to “implore lawmakers to create legislation safeguarding the mental health of artists within the industry” and calls for legislation, dubbed Liam’s Law, which would necessitate “regular mental health check-ups, adequate rest periods and the presence of mental health professionals on-set, including any ongoing support during their career.”
Dad-of-one Liam previously said he struggled with alcoholism at the peak of his success, describing hitting “rock bottom” to The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett, before saying in 2023 that he was sober after going into rehab.
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