One Direction Members Have Somber Reunion At Liam Payne's Funeral After 2016 Split

Liam Payne's former One Direction bandmates were recently spotted attending the late singer's funeral in England's Home Counties.

The remaining quartet had previously taken to their social media messages to pay tribute to their former bandmate after his death.

Since their split in 2016, the group had not reunited in public, making their appearance at Payne's funeral the first time they were doing so.

In the wake of Liam Payne's death, the remaining members of the defunct boy band One Direction attended the singer's funeral to pay their final respects.

"Watermelon Sugar" singer Harry Styles was the first to arrive at England's Home Counties, the location where Payne was laid to rest.

Louis Tomlinson was the next to arrive, followed by Zayn Malik, with both attending the ceremony solo. Moments later, Niall Horan arrived accompanied by his girlfriend.

All four members, who arrived separately, were dressed in the customary black-and-white suit attire for the occasion, although Malik added a touch of flair to his outfit.

They also wore dark shades, complementing the solemn atmosphere of the ceremony. The quartet's appearance marked the first time they had reunited in public since their 2016 split, which came a year after Malik departed from the group.

For the most part, they were not seen interacting with each other, though photos captured Tomlinson and Malik sharing a brief chat before heading inside.

It remains unclear whether any of the bandmates gave speeches at the funeral, but they had previously shared tributes to Payne in an official statement following his death.

"We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing," read the statement, per Page Six. "In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly."

The boy band, which was formed by former "X Factor" judge Simon Cowell in 2010, also mentioned that the late singer will be terribly missed by them all.

They added, "The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam."

On October 16, Liam Payne was confirmed to have died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

An autopsy later revealed that multiple traumatic injuries from the fall caused his death. However, it is suspected that Payne experienced a breakdown linked to substance abuse prior to the incident.

At the time, reports also suggested that Payne may have ingested "pink cocaine"—a dangerous mix of methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA—before his death.

They also claimed that crack cocaine and benzodiazepines were among the drugs he had taken.

Following the tragedy, police discovered drug-related items in Payne's hotel room, including substances hidden in a Dove soap box. They also raided the hotel where he stayed to retrieve several elements relevant to their investigation.

Investigation into Payne's death has led to Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office charging three people.

One of them was accused of the abandonment of a person followed by death, while the rest were charged with supplying Payne with drugs.

One of the suspects, Braian Nahuel Paiz, has already told the press that he intends to cooperate with the investigation fully.

"I want to contribute everything: my phone, everything to the investigation," Paiz told Us Weekly. "I have nothing that can harm me. ... The other thing is to contribute what I saw personally and what I experienced firsthand."

He had previously broken his silence on the singer's death in an interview with Argentinian TV, where he denied supplying Payne with drugs.

At the time, Paiz also hinted that he had shared a romantic relationship with the "Strip That Down" crooner and claimed that he never accepted any money from Payne despite multiple offers during their interaction.

Payne's girlfriend was reportedly not comfortable with his drug use and did all she could to make him stop, including putting their relationship on the line.

According to the New York Post, a friend of Cassidy's has come out to share details of the couple's last days together, saying she gave the former One Direction heartthrob an "ultimatum" to overcome his struggles with substance abuse or risk losing their relationship altogether.

"His drug use was causing a lot of drama," the source explained. "So she gave him an ultimatum: her or the drugs. He chose the drugs, so she had no choice but to remove herself from the situation."

They continued, "She thought she was doing tough love. She didn't know that it would end the way it did."