Liam Payne's funeral to take place next week as family given 'green light' for body to be flown back to UK
by Daniel Bird, Gerard Couzens · ChronicleLiveThe body of Liam Payne is set to be flown back to the UK by Monday "at the latest", with his funeral expected to take place next week. This comes nearly three weeks after the chart-topping musician tragically fell from his hotel balcony, resulting in his immediate death.
Undertakers have reportedly moved the late One Direction singer from a Buenos Aires morgue to the British Cemetery, founded in the 1820s, located in the northern part of the Argentinian capital. This follows the granting of permission by prosecutors for his devastated father, Geoff, to bring him home.
Local media suggest that the repatriation will occur either Sunday or Monday - "48 hours maximum" - once the embalming process is complete. Respected Argentinian daily La Nacion reported that Geoff was 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 arriving in the South American country following his son's tragic three-storey hotel fall.
The report 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 reached Argentina on October 18 he was told the repatriation process could take between four and five days, but because of the circumstances surrounding his son's death things took longer than expected."
Prosecutors are still awaiting the results from toxicology and tissue tests before confirming repatriation following Liam's father's initial meeting with Mr Madrea on October 21. The investigation into the death of Liam at CasaSur Palermo Hotel on October 16, which was initially thought to stem from a substance-induced 'psychotic episode' without any third-party involvement, has seen police raid the boutique hotel to search for evidence of his drug supplier, reports the Mirror.
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This comes amid speculations that someone at the hotel had been providing him with illegal substances. Argentine news outlet Infobae reported that forensic experts found cocaine traces in Liam's system three days prior, although results on white powder observed in leaked photos of his hotel suite remain "inconclusive."
Unverified US reports suggest a mix of drugs, including 'pink cocaine'—a blend of MDMA, ketamine, methamphetamine—as well as crack cocaine and benzodiazepine, were detected during an initial autopsy.
Geoff arrived in Argentina two days following the tragic passing of his son and was seen reading tributes at an impromptu shrine that fans had assembled outside Liam's hotel. He also entered the third-floor suite where the ex-One Direction star had been lodging, allowed to retrieve his son’s clothing and possessions that investigators did not require.
Meanwhile, a wave of Liam Payne's bereaved supporters are petitioning for a memorial to be built in recognition of the artist, who was with his partner Kate Cassidy in Argentina before she left for the States shortly before his untimely death. His admirers are campaigning for a lasting "structure or mural" to be erected in his native Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands.
The British Aires British Cemetery, which relocated to its present site in 1892, harbours the war graves of one Royal Navy sailor from the First World War and eleven British military personnel from the Second World War. This news update follows after the Mirror disclosed one of Liam’s last generous gestures.
Merely hours before he passed away, he made a substantial monetary donation to Jack, a 28 year old battling Stage 4 B Cell Lymphoma. Liam, often commended for his charitable efforts, contributed £2.3k to Jack's fundraising campaign on GoFundMe.
But initially, Jack wasn't certain if it was a genuine gesture or not, suspecting it might be a "prank" or a case of someone donating under a pseudonym for the sake of privacy. This uncertainty persisted until the sad news of Liam's passing.
"I thought it was a prank or someone donating under a false name in the interest of preserving their own anonymity, until reports started coming out about Liam's acts of kindness during his final days."
he reflected. Adding to this, Jack shared: "Once we started seeing other reputable sources saying Liam had donated to my GoFundMe, it became sort of surreal. I'm so thankful and I feel extremely lucky."
Despite facing his own trials, Liam placed the wellbeing of others ahead of his own—a trait he exhibited ever since rising to fame with One Direction.
Jack confessed that despite knowing of Liam's history with charitable actions, discovering the donation came directly from him indeed "warmed his heart". He stated: "It truly warmed my heart knowing he was able to find some sort of peace through the love and support he provided to other people in his final moments."
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