Liam Payne's body to be flown home to UK today as preparations get under way for funeral

The singer died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina more than three weeks ago, on October 16. Payne was just 31 years old, with an autopsy confirming that he had suffered internal and external bleeding and multiple traumatic injuries from the third-floor fall.

His body was being held in Argentina until local officials had completed further post mortem and toxicology tests after there were claims that he was in the midst of a drug-fuelled manic episode at the time of his death. Reports of preliminary toxicology tests said that there had been Class A in his system at the time of the fall, but officials stressed that the initial results do not accurately show the levels of drugs in the system.

It has now been confirmed that Payne’s body has been released to his family. Public prosecutor Andrés Madrea told the BBC that the body was released on Wednesday, November 6, with his body set to be flown home today (November 7).

The family of the ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ hitmaker are said to have finalised the details of his funeral, with the memorial set to take place next week according to reports. A source close to the family told MailOnline: “Arrangements are in place for that now and once his body is back in Britain the next step will be to announce the funeral plan. A lavish service of remembrance is expected to take place a few days after the repatriation.

“Liam will have a very big send-off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart. Liam was so loved by so many people, there will obviously be enormous demand and so the service will necessarily be a huge affair. The details are still under wraps until they are definitively signed off but should be announced very soon.”