Liam Payne’s death this week left the entire world reeling as the former One Direction star tragically passed away at the age of just 31.
The singer was pronounced dead after plunging from the third floor of his hotel, CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, October 16. Many tributes have been paid to Liam, including from his ex Cheryl Tweedy, the mother of their seven-year-old son Bear, who described his death as an “earth shattering event”. Breaking her silence last night, Cheryl said: “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 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
Cheryl also posted a sweet unseen photo of Liam with their son, Bear, who was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on March 22, 2017, reports the Mirror.
Announcing the birth of his only son at the time on Instagram, Liam wrote: “My close friends and family know there are very few times when I’m left speechless… wow!” as he basked in his new fatherhood.
While Liam and Cheryl split up shortly after Bear’s first birthday, the parents continued co-parenting and even though the singer wasn’t with his son constantly, he always made sure that he was provided for.
In 2019, he helped Cheryl pay for a home in the Buckinghamshire village of Chalfont St Peter where the Girls Aloud singer raised Bear alongside her mum Joan. Liam later bought himself a property nearby so he could remain close to the pair.
Despite their huge fame, Liam and Cheryl made the decision to try to keep their son out of the spotlight and only shared glimpses of him on social media occasionally. Giving an insight into their different parenting styles, Cheryl said she was “the strict one” while Liam was “much softer” than her.
Back in 2020, Cheryl shared the first video of Bear talking, revealing that he had developed a strong Geordie accent after spending his early years alongside the Newcastle native and her mum.
In the clip, Bear, who was three at the time, asked his mum to visit their local park sounding just like northerner Cheryl.
As the boy grew older, Cheryl revealed he was taking after his parents in more ways – as she boasted about his talent for singing and performing.
In a rare image shared by his mum earlier this year, the child was pictured on stage with her during a soundcheck for the Girls Aloud tour in May. The photo shows Cheryl holding her son’s hand while preparing for her band’s concert at Sheffield Arena.
In March, Liam also posted a photo of Bear, taken from the back, showing his son looking at a billboard with his dad on it. Liam captioned the image: “I want to be on a billboard one day daddy.” Fans were shocked to see how grown up Bear was in the photo, sporting thick brown hair like his mum.
Speaking last year, Cheryl said Bear was just realising that his parents were famous after they had taken steps to try and remove him from the media limelight and to have a ‘normal’ childhood instead.
The mum admitted she was worried about people recognising her son on the street. The singer said: “The problem is that I want Bear to have a normal childhood. I don’t want people recognising him on the street. But he’s twigged that I’m famous. The other day he said ‘How lucky am I to have famous parents?’ I said, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ He goes: ‘Yeah. But it’s pretty cool’.”
In a heartbreaking video shared as he celebrated his 31st birthday in August this year, Liam said he was excited to spend some time with Bear, describing his son as his “mini me”.
Liam said : “I didn’t get any dad socks yet thought. I’m going to speak to my son in a little bit which I’m really excited about. Bless him. He’s getting so big now. He’s a big boy and he looks like a mini me. As if we needed any more me in the world.”
In his tribute to Liam, Simon Cowell explained to fans how much Bear looked like his daddy. Simon shared a close bond with Liam beginning on the X Factor and charting his rise to global fame as a member of One Direction.
“I have met your son Bear. He has your smile and that twinkle in your eyes you have,” wrote Simon. “He will be so proud of everything you achieved. And how you achieved it,” he added.
After his Liam’s tragic death, the child stands to inherit his fortune, estimated to be £46million. According to some of Liam’s friends, the 1D star had made arrangements “some years ago” to ensure that his money would go to his only child in the event of his death.
Despite being often thousands of miles apart as the singer spent a lot of time in America, he kept in touch with Bear via video calls on FaceTime. An insider told The Daily Mail: “Liam had some very sensible people around him for a time and he adored Bear so much. He always wanted to do the right thing by him financially. It is a small consolation that Bear will never want for anything, that he will at least benefit from that.”
Another friend of Liam said: “It’s tragic that they never had a proper father and son bond. Liam was there, a lost soul, on his own, thousands of miles away from home – it is awful. He would always call Bear; they would speak to each other a lot and Liam would see him as much as he could.”
A post-mortem examination report in Argentina said Liam died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after falling from the balcony of his room. Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 said it had launched a probe into the incident as an “inconclusive death” following the report.
Liam’s father, Geoff Payne, travelled to Buenos Aires after his son’s death and was pictured yesterday in a navy suit exiting the Casa Sur Hotel. Mr Payne is said to have flown to the country to organise the repatriation of his son, the Associated Press reported.
In a video shared on the BBC, Mr Payne was seen visiting tributes laid out by fans outside the hotel, reading letters and pausing around flowers, photographs and candles. It comes after the singer’s family said they were “heartbroken” following his death, adding: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
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