Liam Payne was laid to rest earlier this week at a private funeral as the One Direction star was honoured with a special tribute to his son Bear.

Liam Payne’s final send-off was a heartfelt tribute to his life with personal touches that spoke volumes about the man he was.

The former One Direction star was commemorated with an intimate ceremony on Wednesday (November 20) in Amersham surrounded by his nearest and dearest.

Amongst the star-studded guests attending his funeral was his ex-partner and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, who played a significant part in organising the day’s events.

Following the church service, it is understood that Liam’s family and friends retreated to his mansion’s garden to pay their respects.

Standing tall amongst the mourners were two life-sized dinosaurs, one grey and the other green, which had been a prominent feature at Liam’s residence and remained there for the gathering after the funeral.

Liam Payne was laid to rest earlier this week (Image: PA)

But these prehistoric replicas weren’t just garden ornaments. The huge figures held a deep connection to Liam, who is believed to have purchased them online ten years ago as a humorous gift to himself.

They became even more significant when he had his son Bear in 2017, with whom he “bonded” over the dinosaur figures. The beloved items made the journey with him to his Surrey home and were a fixture in his garden, reports the Mirror.

A source close to Liam shared with Mail Online: “The dinosaurs brought out his inner child and made him happy when things around him were not going so well. And then there was Bear what little boy wouldn’t want to play with them? It was a place of fond memories, so to remember Liam there was special.”

Liam became a father at the tender age of 23, just eight years before he fell to his death from his third story hotel balcony last month.

The Girls Aloud singer reportedly helped plan Liam’s service (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

He and Cheryl had been an item for two and a half years before they went separate ways after welcoming their ‘beautiful, healthy boy’ into the world in March 2017.

At the time Cheryl took to Instagram to share a heartwarming photo of Liam cradling their newborn son, announcing the joyous occasion to her followers.

Her heartfelt message on Instagram read: “On Wednesday 22nd March Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream.

“Although he still doesn’t have a name he is already stealing hearts. We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival.”

Further expressing her newfound joy, Cheryl’s emotional post continued: “Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever.”

The couple previously shared the meaning behind their son’s unique name (Image: Instagram)

In the wake of becoming parents, the stars were torn between choosing a traditional or modern name for their son. After much contemplation, they settled on Bear, owing to its uniqueness which Cheryl believed would make a lasting impression.

Reflecting on their decision, Liam divulged to Total Access back in May 2017: “It was like an internal battle. I wanted a more traditional name and she wanted a name that was more unusual.

“And the reason she chose Bear in the end was because Bear is a name that when you leave a room, you won’t forget. And I like that. When I look at him, he’s just Bear.”

Liam recounted his initial hesitation about his son’s unique name, saying: “At first, I wasn’t really having it. I was like, ‘I’m not really sure. I don’t really understand’. Now, I look at him and he’s Bear. You become your name as you get older anyway.”

The musician was a loving father to his son (Image: WireImage)

He later explained to James Corden how the moniker ‘Bear’ stuck after a memorable moment at birth: “He had this thing where if they don’t have a good cry, they get fluid in their lungs, which is quite serious, so he was like going ‘grrrr’.

“I had like 10 doctors come in the room, and in the end, the guy was just like, ‘Dude, I’m not being funny. There’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.’ And that’s carried on ever since, so he just became Bear.”

Despite their fame, Cheryl and Liam made a conscious decision to protect their son’s privacy, opting not to share pictures of Bear’s face.

In a candid revelation in 2020, Liam shared that Bear is the spitting image of him, revealing: “He looks exactly like me, which is very strange. When family members see baby pictures of me now, they say, ‘Oh wow, Bear looks really great there!'”.

The celebrity couple announced their separation in 2018 but committed to co-parenting amicably. Their joint statement expressed their heartfelt emotions: “We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways.

“It’s been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”

Two years prior to his tragic passing, Liam opened up about his experiences as a father and the bond with his son. In a heartfelt confession to People in 2022, he said: “I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes.

“And I make sure when I see him, he has 100 percent of my time. I make sure that I’m not on my phone or d***ing around somewhere else.”

Liam poignantly expressed the significance of fatherhood in his life and Bear’s need for his presence. He revealed to the American magazine: “So, I like to give him those moments and it’s important, he needs that in his life, he needs his dad in his life, and I’m happy he looks at me like a superhero, and I’m hoping to keep it that way.”