Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates attend pop star’s funeral – latest

Simon Cowell held Liam Payne‘s parents Geoff and Karen in an embrace as they left the church.

The Revd. Jonny Rapson then walked in front of the hearse as the coffin and Liam Payne‘s parents drove off.

Liam Payne‘s coffin has been carried outside the church and placed inside the hearse.

Dancer and model Danielle Peazer, who dated One Direction star Liam Payne for two years until 2013, shared a lengthy tribute to singer following the news of his death.

Peazer remained on friendly terms with the singer, whom she met on ITV reality contest The X Factor in 2010, and revealed in her statement the one thing she believed he was “most proud of”.

Writing on Instagram on Sunday, she urged her followers to see Payne not just as “a world-famous musician for the last decade” but also “someone’s son and brother for more than 30 years, a friend to so many and more recently an uncle”.

“His most important role and something he was the most proud of out of all of his monumental successes was that he was a father,” Peazer said. “The thought that there is now a child growing up without one of their parents is heartbreaking and unfair.

“To Liam’s son Bear, as well as his parents and sisters, my love, thoughts and strength goes to you. The magnitude of this loss is incomprehensible and I will continue to support you in any way I am able to.”

Peazer said that, while her and Payne’s relationship might have ended in 2013, they knew they would share “some sort of connection forever”.

“It took a little longer for you to figure out the person you wanted to be in order to be your happiest, but whilst most of us have our teens and twenties to learn about ourselves, you spent those years giving more to the world than you ever needed to,” she said, addressing Payne.

“I wish you knew that you were always more than enough for this world without having to search for a role to play just to please others.”

She also wrote that in the more than a decade in which they knew each other, he knew “how I felt” and she often “hoped and prayed that this day would never come. But now we’re all facing the reality of living a life without your presence.”

“Thank you for teaching me about the importance of setting boundaries, and that I should always protect my heart,” she concluded.

A horse-drawn carriage has arrived at St Mary’s Church carrying a dark blue coffin with silver handles, topped with white roses.

On top of the carriage, there was a red floral tribute which said “son” and a blue tribute which said “daddy”.

Silence fell upon the crowd as Liam Payne’s father Geoff Payne and his mother Karen got out of a vehicle and stood behind the reverend, next to the carriage.

Niall Horan shared a personal tribute to his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne in the wake of his death, reflecting on their meeting just weeks earlier.

“I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam,” Horan, 31, wrote. “It just doesn’t feel real.

“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and made everyone feel happy and secure.”

He continued: “All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever.

“The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”

Horan said he felt “so fortunate” that he had been able to see Payne while he was touring in Argentina: “I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”

He concluded: “My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Bear. Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother. Nialler.”