Thousands of grieving One Direction fans are set to make a pilgrimage of anguish to Liam Payne’s grave after he was laid to rest at a star-studded service.
And that has raised fears that desperate fans will pilfer mementos from his final resting place, sparking fears the churchyard of St Mary’s in the quiet town of Amersham in the UK will need to be manned by security guards, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A showbiz source told us: “The church authorities are braced for an army of fans who are set to descend on Liam’s final resting place. There is bound to be a lot of interest in the first few weeks and there is a worry that devotees will be tempted to take items left in honor of Liam.
“There is talk of manning the spot with a couple of round-the-clock security guards, at least for the first couple of weeks while interest quietens and things get back to ‘normal’. The last thing his grieving family needs is the prospect of grave robbers rearing their ugly heads.”
The late singer’s One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik were all in attendance at the service alongside his family and closest friends.
Autumnal floral displays, made up of red and orange leaves, as well as white roses, were set up around the doorways of the 12th-century church.
Payne’s former girlfriend, Cheryl, the mother of this seven-year-old son Bear, also attended but the lad was kept at home.
Music mogul Simon Cowell, who signed One Direction, was also in the congregation,
The 31-year-old star died just over a month ago on October 16 from head injuries he sustained after falling from the balcony of his third-floor hotel suite in Buenos Aires.
His heart-broken father Geoff brought his son’s remains back to Britain two weeks ago, after extensive examinations from the Argentinian authorities into his death, which led to delays in bringing the singer back home to the UK.
A horse-drawn carriage carried a dark blue coffin topped with white roses, as well as a red floral tribute, that said “Son” and a blue tribute that said “Daddy”.
Before his death, Payne lived nearby in the south-east Buckinghamshire village of Chalfont St Giles, close to his former partner and their son.
Other guests included Payne’s girlfriend, the US influencer Kate Cassidy, who arrived alongside Damian Hurley, son of the UK model Elizabeth Hurley, as well as the British TV presenter Rochelle Humes and her husband, the former JLS singer Marvin Humes.
Silence fell among the crowd of fans, some holding photographs and flowers, who gathered outside as Payne’s father and his mother, Karen, arrived and stood next to the carriage.
Another floral tribute depicted bowling pins being knocked over by a ball in reference to one of Payne’s favorite pastimes.
