Liam Payne's funeral details as former One Direction member's body returns to UK

Liam Payne will be remembered in an honour service at the end of this week, three weeks after the tragic incident that led to his death in Argentina. The former One Direction singer passed away on October 16 at the age of 31 following a fall from the third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.

Liam was on holiday in the country and had attended his friend Niall Horan's concert with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. The star was mourned by his devastated friends, family, and fans who posted heart-wrenching tributes online.

Following further investigations and tests by local authorities, Liam's body was released to his family, as public prosecutor Andrés Madrea confirmed on Wednesday.

His father, Geoff Payne, has spent recent weeks in Argentina following his son's passing. A "lavish service of remembrance" is reportedly being organised, which is expected to take place in a grand cathedral, reports the Mirror.

Details of the Funeral

Although it's believed that the memorial service will be held in Liam's hometown of Wolverhampton later this week, the exact time and location are yet to be finalised. The event will allow those close to him, along with his wide fanbase, the opportunity to farewell the much-loved artist.

It is currently unknown if the other members of One Direction plan to attend. As stated to MailOnline by a source: "Liam will have a very big send-off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart.

"Liam was so loved by so many people, there will obviously be enormous demand and so the service will necessarily be a huge affair."

After details of his funeral emerged, fans across social media have been urging others to respect the family's privacy. One user on TikTok commented: "This is your friendly reminder that if you're thinking of going to Liam Payne's funeral to look at One Direction members. Don't," while another message shared on X read: "A reminder to everyone thinking of going to Liam's funeral. A few articles have stated how the funeral will be private and low-key so please, let his loved ones mourn in peace and privacy. Memorials were for the fans, his funeral is for the people who knew him personally."

It's reported that Liam's funeral will likely be a private affair to allow his friends and family time to grieve.

Celebrities attending funeral

While no specific details about the service have been released, it's speculated that figures such as Cheryl Tweedy, Simon Cowell, and Nicole Scherzinger might attend. The presence of his former One Direction bandmates - Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson - at the funeral remains uncertain.

RadarOnline has suggested: "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."

Musical tributes

There are also expectations of musical tributes to honour the late star. It has been reported that the funeral will include a "series of song tributes" to honour his passion for music. His family is said to be keen on incorporating a special musical aspect into the service, with "a series of song tributes from some very big acts" expected, according to a source.

Radar Online was told by a source: "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."

Tributes outside church

Fans have started to pay their respects outside St. Peter's Collegiate Church in central Wolverhampton, leaving flowers and heartfelt handwritten notes by the Lady Wulfrun statue.

Last month, residents held a candlelit vigil for Liam outside his old school, St Peter's Collegiate Academy, close to Newbridge. There have also been calls for a more lasting tribute to the singer.

As of Thursday, November 7, a petition urging the council to consider erecting a permanent monument in the West Midlands has garnered 4,806 signatures.

Autopsy report

Initial reports from Argentinian police suggested that the father-of-one had "jumped from the balcony of his room," but subsequent accounts propose that Liam may have accidentally fallen after 'fainting', with witnesses alleging he suffered a 'psychotic episode' prior to his death. The preliminary toxicology report detected traces of the designer drug pink cocaine in his system.

Final toxicology results are still awaited and might not be disclosed for several weeks. It remains unclear how much of the drugs were found in his body.

Materials retrieved from the singer's body during a post-mortem examination confirmed "the presence of the class-A drug", as reported by reputable news outlet Infobae. ABC News alleged that among these substances was "pink cocaine", a deadly cocktail of drugs including MDMA, ketamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack.

Following Liam's death, prosecutors stated they believed he was in "in a state of semi or total unconsciousness" during a substance-induced 'psychotic episode' when he fell. Respected Argentinian daily La Nacion reported that Liam's father was personally informed in a recent meeting with prosecution chief Andres Madrea that he could return to the UK with Liam's body two weeks after arriving in the South American country following his son's tragic three-storey hotel fall.

The statement read: "All the documents are ready for the former One Direction singer to return to his homeland so a funeral can take place there next week. When Geoff Payne reached Argentina on October 18 he was told the repatriation process could take between four and five days, but because of the circumstances surrounding his son's death things took longer than expected."

The Public Prosecutor's Office in Buenos Aires continues to investigate the tragic circumstances surrounding the singer's untimely passing.

What police have said so far

Argentine police investigating Liam's death have reportedly conducted another series of raids on the residences of two hotel employees and a 'friend' of the singer. TMZ reports that law enforcement sources in Buenos Aires informed them that these raids took place on Tuesday night.

They also searched the hotel lockers of the workers and reviewed security footage from the CasaSur Palermo hotel.

TMZ further reports that police believe these unidentified workers had contact with the One Direction member before his fatal fall from the balcony of his third-floor room on October 16. It is suggested that one of the singer's 'friends' was also identified through text messages.

Investigations are ongoing into who may have been involved in allegedly supplying the singer with drugs. It is understood that the 'friend' officers wanted to question was not present during the raid.