Liam Payne’s body is due to be flown home to the UK next week after the beloved One Direction star died on October 16.
The X Factor star and boyband icon tragically fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, almost three weeks ago at the age of 31. He died instantly.
As authorities have been investigating the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death, his family has now been given an update on when they can lay him to rest.
The singer’s body will return home from South America by Monday ‘at the latest’ and his funeral is expected to take place in the days after.
Undertakers are believed to have moved the late pop star from a Buenos Aires morgue to the 1820s-founded British Cemetery in the northern part of the capital.
This was done after prosecutors gave his dad, Geoff Payne, permission to take his only son home.
According to local media, there is a ’48 hours maximum’ window for his repatriation once the embalming process is finished.
Geoff, who is also a dad to Payne’s older sisters Nicola and Ruth, first flew out to Argentina two days after his son’s fatal fall, attending a fan vigil at the hotel entrance and thanking them for their support.
After reading messages at the makeshift shrine, he visited Payne’s suite on the third-storey and was granted permission to take his clothes and other belongings which were not needed by investigators.
Argentinian press has said: ‘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 have yet to confirm the results from Payne’s toxicology report and tissue tests.
However, his dad was previously told these would have to be completed before the repatriation could take place.
It has been widely reported by various outlets that at the time of his death, Payne had a concoction of drugs in his system.
Sources told ABC that the substances found included ‘pink cocaine’, a recreational drug that is a combination of methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA, and others, as well as cocaine, crack, and benzodiazepine.
Another official also confirmed the presence of cocaine to the Associated Press but emphasised that initial results were not an accurate reading of the quantity of the drug in the star’s body at the time of his death.
In recent years, Payne spoke openly about his addiction struggles, and it’s believed he bravely entered rehab just months ago.
He was also candid about his mental health woes, having struggled with agoraphobia at the height of his fame in 1D.
In the wake of his untimely death, fans have rallied to sign a petition demanding an improvement in mental health protections for artists in the music industry.
Over 130,000 signatures have been acquired thus far, with the founder revealing to Metro that she ‘won’t stop’ until Liam’s Law is implemented and execs are held accountable for breaching their duty of care.
Payne was just 16 when he rose to prominence, having auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 before returning two years later when Simon Cowell put him into the band alongside Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles.
They went on to sell millions of records worldwide and broke records not even The Beatles achieved.
Following the loss of their bandmate, the surviving members – whose music has soared up streaming charts once again – issued joint and individual statements to express their heartache.
Shared to their dormant social media accounts (One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2015), the group wrote: ‘We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.
‘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 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.’
As well as his bandmates and grieving fans, Payne leaves behind a girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, 25, who had been with him in Argentina shortly before his death.
He also shares a son, seven-year-old Bear, with ex-partner and Girls Aloud star Cheryl.
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