attended ex-boyfriend ’s funeral on Wednesday, November 20.
The singer looked somber as she walked to the church hosting Payne’s private funeral in Amersham, England. Cole, 41, wore all black and sunglasses as she entered solo. Cole and Payne share 7-year-old son Bear.
Payne died at age 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony at a hotel in Argentina.
His parents, and , were seen holding back tears at the funeral on Wednesday. Payne’s girlfriend, , was also in attendance along with his former One Direction bandmates, , , and . Two of Cole’s Girls Aloud bandmates — N and — were also photographed.
Cole was photographed without Bear on Wednesday, but there was a flower arrangement that read “daddy” on display outside the church. Payne and Cole met in 2008 when he was a contestant on The X Factor UK, but their romantic relationship didn’t start until years later. They were together from 2016 to 2018 and welcomed Bear in March 2017, one year before parting ways.
Cole addressed Payne’s death in a social media statement posted days after his sudden passing.
“As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” she wrote on October 18, sharing a photo of Payne holding a baby Bear. “Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7-year-old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
While Cole and Payne kept Bear largely out of the public eye, the “Strip That Down” singer wasn’t shy when it came to talking about fatherhood in various interviews.
“I was so excited for him to be born that I was actually worried [that] I wouldn’t love him enough,” Payne recalled on the “Impaulsive” podcast in May 2022. He also praised Cole as a mother.
“She is the best mom in the world. I couldn’t ask for someone better,” he said at the time. “The relationship we have now as friends has only grown more. We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know [Bear’s] taken care of. He is all she cares about and I couldn’t ask for more.”
