Liam Payne to be laid to rest in private funeral

Liam Payne's funeral is expected to be held today (20 November), a month after his death in Argentina.

The One Direction star, 31, had been staying at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, when he fell from a third floor balcony on 16 October.

Emergency services were called, but arrived at the hotel seven minutes after he'd fallen, and was pronounced dead.

Liam's body was flown back to the UK earlier this month, after his dad, Geoff, spent time in Argentina liaising with authorities.

Today's funeral is expected to be a private service for family and close friends.

It's reported all four of his One Direction bandmates and Simon Cowell are expected to pay their respects.

Three people have been charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne.

The public prosecutor’s office in Argentina said three people had been charged, with one person who had been accompanying Payne accused of “abandonment of a person followed by death”.

An employee at the hotel where Payne was staying and a third person have also been charged with supplying drugs.

Argentine authorities also ruled out third party involvement and “self-harm” in Payne’s death, according to a forensic psychiatric report.

Tributes have poured in since Liam's death, with vigils held up and down the country, including in Birmingham.

Some fans there tried to put into words their grief: "People think, you didn't know him and don't understand why we are upset. That's right, I didn't know him, but I know everything about him," one person told us.

"It's strange. Listening to their music has a different inflection now. One Direction was a big part of my life, when my sister and I lost our mum to cancer," another said.

In a statement released shortly after his passing, Liam's family said: "We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul."

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