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Fans, family, and friends of Liam Payne said goodbye to the singer on Tuesday, November 19, as they laid him to rest – and his funeral included a touching tribute from his young son, Bear Grey.
In photos from Liam's memorial, a floral arrangement reading "son" is seen atop a carriage as his coffin was brought into the church. Near Liam's headstone is another floral arrangement, reading "Daddy," likely placed on behalf of his 7-year-old son, Bear, and his ex-girlfriend, singer Cheryl Cole of British girl group Girls Aloud.
Liam — who died at 31 on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina and was said to have had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant in his system prior to his death — was mourned by many people at his funeral, including his parents, Karen and Geoff Payne, and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. Cole was also in attendance. She and Liam had dated from 2016 to 2018, and welcomed Bear together in March of 2017.
Also in attendance at Liam's funeral were his One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik. After Liam's death, Tomlinson took to social media promising to look after Bear.
"I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was," Tomlinson wrote.
Back in July, Liam described fatherhood and life with Bear.
"Time with Bear's been really, really great, honestly," the "Strip That Down" singer said in a video shared to his YouTube channel. At the time, Liam also claimed he was sober. "More than anything, I want to say thank you to him and his mum for giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment because I had to."
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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