Liam Payne's funeral – what is known so far as tragic singer's body finally returns to UK

Liam Payne's funeral is expected to take place during the week commencing Monday 4 November 2024 (Image: FILE)

Liam Payne, the beloved One Direction star, will finally be laid to rest after his sudden and heartbreaking death last month.

The singer shockingly passed away while in Argentina during October, leaving behind bereaved family members, friends, and legions of devastated fans. At 31, Liam's untimely death has deeply affected his seven year old son, Bear whom he had with former partner Cheryl.

Authorities in Argentina retained custody of Liam's body for investigation post his October 2024 demise, with his grieving relatives being informed only in early November that they could bring him home, nearly three weeks following the distressing event.

Though specifics of the cause of his death have been communicated, results from crucial toxicology tests conducted as part of the inquest remain unrevealed by Argentinian officials. Plans are now being made by the family to host a funeral in the UK this month, offering a poignant opportunity to bid their beloved Liam farewell.

The tragic 16 October 2024 incident at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires ended with Liam falling from a third-floor balcony, causing injuries that led to his tragic end.

Liam Payne fell to his death from a third floor balcony (Image: Getty Images for Bauer Media)

Controversy surrounds his hotel death, igniting an official inquiry amid suspicions that drug-induced "psychotic episode" might have contributed to the fatal fall, with additional verifications underway to rule out any involvement from another party in the devastating occurrence.

The Sistema de Atencio Medica de Emergencia in Argentina announced: "British musician Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo. In the afternoon, police personnel from Precinct 14B were directed to the hotel by a 911 call reporting an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol."

An autopsy has revealed that the much-loved 'For You' singer succumbed due to "polytrauma and internal and external bleeding", a result of catastrophic "multiple traumatic injuries", with the examination uncovering evidence of 25 injuries consistent with those inflicted by a high fall.

Controversially, the Argentina National Prosecutor's Office has cast doubts over the definitive cause of death, labelling it as "doubtful/undetermined" and acknowledging the inability to reach a conclusive determination. A statement forwarded to PA disclosed that the star had "not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness."

Liam Payne's body is travelling back to the UK (Image: Getty)

As the saga unfolds, information regarding the repatriation of Liam Payne's body to the UK remains undisclosed.

On Saturday 2 November, it was reported that the body of Liam is set to be released, allowing his family to repatriate him back to the UK. It was suggested that by Monday 4 November at the latest, his family could receive him and make necessary transport arrangements.

The esteemed Argentinian newspaper La Nacion reported that Liam's father, Geoff Payne, 66, had been 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 travelling to the South American country following the star's tragic fall.

The paper stated: "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 arrived in Argentina on October 18, he was told the repatriation process could take between four and five days, but due to the circumstances surrounding his son's death, things took longer than expected."

It has been speculated that Liam's family plans to hold his funeral in the UK during the week beginning Monday 4 November, 2025. Whether the funeral will be a public event or a private ceremony has not yet been confirmed.

The exact location of the funeral for the star, originally from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, has been kept private. Devastated fans have been signing a change.org petition in hopes of introducing new laws to protect the mental health of musicians and artists - a cause close to Liam's heart during his life.

The initial goal was to gather just 12,000 signatures, but this target was quickly exceeded and, as of 2 November, it had garnered over 130,000. After surpassing 100,000 signatures, the proposal is now anticipated to be discussed by ministers in Parliament.