Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, has tragically died at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Prior to his untimely death, he had reunited with ex-girlfriend Cheryl to co-parent their cherished son Bear.
The heartbreaking incident took place just days after Liam and his partner, Kate Cassidy, attended a performance by Niall Horan, his ex-bandmate. After his fatal fall from the third-floor balcony, emergency services were quickly on the scene, the M.E.N reports.
Witnesses reported erratic behaviour at the hotel before the fall, suggesting possible substance influence. A body was discovered in the hotel’s inner courtyard, prompting hotel staff to alert the police.
As per the Mirror, it is believed that Liam fell around 13 or 14 metres, sustaining “very serious injuries incompatible with life.”
Ambulance service spokesperson Alberto Crescenti confirmed the fall was approximately 40 metres high, resulting in “severe injuries which were incompatible with life,” as reported by the Mirror US. Liam Payne became a father to son Bear with Cheryl in 2017 when he was just 23-years-old.
Despite splitting the following year, they continued to co-parent, although Liam has been seen with Bear only sporadically over the past seven years. Cheryl, now 40, has taken on most of the parenting responsibilities.
In March, Liam Payne melted hearts by sharing an adorable photo of his son Bear on Instagram. The picture showed the little one in a bright yellow jacket, admiring a billboard featuring his dad’s latest music project.
The caption read: “I want to be on a billboard one day, Daddy.”
An insider shared that following his split from Cheryl and personal challenges, including rehab stints and mental health battles, Liam is looking for a new beginning. The source commented: “We don’t see a lot of Bear on Liam’s social media but I think he wants to prove to Cheryl that he’s getting his life together”
“With Cheryl gearing up for a Girls Aloud comeback tour, she’ll be away more frequently, prompting Liam to take a more active role in parenting. This desire comes at a time when Liam Payne is eager to demonstrate to Cheryl his capability as a father to their son Bear amidst his own emotional struggles.”
He has openly discussed the “scars” left by early fame and the difficulties after One Direction’s break in 2015, noting that Bear’s arrival coincided with the end of his relationship with Cheryl. Liam first encountered Cheryl at age 14 during his X Factor audition, and their relationship became public in February 2016.
Cheryl had kept her pregnancy under wraps until a L’Oreal photoshoot where she debuted her baby bump in a sleek black dress. On Mother’s Day 2017, the couple announced the birth of their child with identical Instagram posts showing Liam holding their newborn.
Their love story hit a rough patch post-parenthood, with Liam opening up about the couple’s struggles following the birth of their son, Bear. Speaking on a podcast in June 2022, he had nothing but kind words for his former flame, stating: “She is the best mum in the world, I couldn’t ask for someone better.”
Yet, he acknowledged that the arrival of Bear “ruined” their relationship “for all the right reasons”.
Previously, the ex-One Direction member disclosed spending 100 days in a rehab facility in Louisiana to deal with past issues, saying: “I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually, because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognise any more.”
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