The funeral of Liam Payne will reportedly take place tomorrow (November 20) in the Home Counties.
However, reports claim that Rogelio “Roger” Nores, a close friend who had accompanied the late singer on his final trip to Argentina, won’t attend.
Reports suggest that Liam’s family has made the decision to exclude Roger – who described the singer as a “very dear friend” recently. However, all four of his One Direction bandmates are said to be gearing up to attend.
Liam Payne funeral
The former One Direction member died tragically on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his third-floor hotel suite in Buenos Aires. Liam had been in Argentina to attend a performance by his former bandmate, Niall Horan.
However, Liam’s trip ended in tragedy.
Liam’s father, Geoff Payne, has since brought his son’s remains back to the UK, where preparations for the funeral have been underway.
According to The Sun, Liam will be laid to rest on Wednesday November 20. It will be private and attended by just his family and closest friends.
A source claimed: “Liam’s funeral is taking place tomorrow afternoon in the Home Counties. His family have gone to great lengths to put together the perfect service and give him the send off he deserves.
“Liam may have been a global superstar but to Geoff and Karen he will always be their little boy. It is going to be an incredibly difficult day.”
The source then went on to claim that Liam’s One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson will all attend. It’s not clear if Cheryl Tweedy and their son Bear will be in attendance.
Roger Nores
Meanwhile, businessman Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores has often been referred to as Liam’s manager. However, he recently denied this and insisted Liam was a “very dear friend”.
It’s been alleged that he visited the singer three times at the CasaSur hotel in the hours leading up to the fall.
Although authorities have not publicly named anyone, reports alleged that Roger may have been among three individuals facing charges in Argentina related to Liam’s death.
A source close to the Payne family claimed that Roger’s presence at the funeral would create tension.
“Roger has never been popular with Liam’s wider circle,” the insider told the Daily Mail. “The family wants the service to run smoothly, and having him there would be a strain.”
Despite these allegations, Roger has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement, he expressed his grief and defended his actions on the day of Liam’s death.
“I never abandoned Liam,” Roger told MailOnline. “I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened.
“There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen.”
Liam Payne death
Meanwhile, Argentinian authorities are continuing their investigation into Liam’s passing. Although Roger has provided a statement to prosecutors, he claims he has not been contacted further.
He has also denied reports that his house was raided.
However, recent sources have given conflicting accounts about the nature of Roger’s relationship with the singer.
One source allegedly told The Sun: “Roger would say he stepped back from working with Liam – others would say he was pushed.
“Many people didn’t even know Liam and Roger had reconnected until his fateful trip to Argentina last month. Due to the ongoing investigation in Argentina, he’s not welcome at this week’s service.”
A close friend of Roger reportedly said he understands the family’s wishes not to invite him to the funeral.
“Roger would not want to do anything to compound the pain that Liam’s family are going through right now,” they explained.
ED! has contacted reps for Liam for comment.
Read more: Cheryl Tweedy speaks about son Bear in TV interview filmed a week before the death of Liam Payne
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