20 November 2024
Liam Payne’s obsession with Batman was one of the focuses of his final goodbye.
Liam Payne’s obsession with Batman was one of the focuses of his final goodbye
The One Direction singer – laid to rest at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, south-east England, on Wednesday (20.11.24) more than a month after his shocking balcony fall death – is said to have been fixated on the comic book vigilante, with a string of cars that arrived for his funeral to be decorated with Batman stickers.
Fans have said Liam spent years “obsessed” with the DC character, with the Daily Mirror reporting he had a life-size cutout of the superhero on his room at one point.
Liam also showcased his hero-worship of Batman on social media.
He posted a photo of himself on X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2013 wearing a Caped Crusader hat, which he captioned: “For those who you who have doubted me and now turn to hate I’d like to say one thing… I am Batman.”
He was also snapped in 2017 wearing a Lego Batman chain.
And Liam dressed up as the Gotham City hero for TV host Jonathan Ross’ 2019 Halloween party.
He also celebrated one of his birthdays with a Batman-themed cake.
Liam’s funeral was attended by mourners including singer Cheryl, 41, with whom he had their seven-year-old son Bear.
She walked behind her ex’s coffin following a poignant ceremony attended by family members and famous faces including Simon Cowell, 65, who put together One Direction on the 2010 run of his ITV show ‘The X Factor’.
Liam’s former 1D bandmates Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32, also turned up at his funeral.
Simon Cowell, who created the band, was seen hugging Liam’s devastated parents Geoff and Karen as they left the church, while Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25, was comforted by her friend Damian Hurley, 22.
Cheryl was in a relationship with Liam from 2016 to 2018, and she was comforted at the service by her fellow Girls Aloud members Nicola Roberts, 39, and 43-year-old Kimberley Walsh.
Also in attendance were BBC radio DJ Scott Mills, James Corden and singers Marvin and Rochelle Humes.
English (US) ·