She added: “He was not allowed into the exact room, which is still an active investigation scene, but he was shown a room with a similar layout.

“He earlier visited the morgue to confirm the identity of his son and the prosecutor’s office to arrange for his repatriation to the UK.”

In a joint statement on Thursday (17 October), Payne’s relatives said they were ‘heartbroken’.

It read: “Liam will forever live in our hearts, and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.

“We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”

Payne’s former partner and mother of his seven-year-old child Cheryl Cole said she would be protecting the boy after the death of his father.

“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 in a post on Instagram.

The singer added: “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 seven-year-old son.

“A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”