A tearful Simon Cowell was seen embracing Liam Payne‘s parents at the funeral of the late One Direction singer on Wednesday.
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Payne was remembered following his tragic death at 31, with the music mogul, who created One Direction on The X Factor, in attendance. Payne’s coffin was brought to the church on a white horse-drawn hearse. It was adorned with floral tributes spelling out “son” and “daddy.”
In a poignant moment, Cowell, 65, was also embraced by Geoff and Karen Payne, with the grieving father holding Cowell tightly.
Another photo captured Cowell wiping his eyes while Geoff gently placed a hand on his back.
Cowell was also seen appearing grief-stricken as he walked hand in hand with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman.
Simon Cowell Joined One Direction Members at Liam Payne’s Funeral
Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, also attended the funeral.
Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates—Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles—were also present at the memorial service in Amersham, England.
Of course, Payne passed away after a fall from several stories high at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October.
Payne reportedly died instantly from severe internal and external injuries. Experts allege that the singer appeared unconscious as he descended into the courtyard below.
One Direction rose to prominence as the most significant British group since The Beatles. Over their five-year career, they sold 70 million records, achieved four UK number-one singles, and released four chart-topping albums.
As a co-writer of many of their hits, Payne also found solo success with songs like “Strip That Down” and “Bedroom Floor.”
He is survived by his parents, two sisters, and his son, Bear, whom he had with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.