One Direction star Liam Payne died on Wednesday leaving his loved ones devastated. The singer is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear, whom he shared with ex Cheryl.
Liam Payne has co-parented his son Bear with his ex, Cheryl Cole, since their split in 2018. But tragedy struck when Liam fell from the third floor of an Argentine hotel on Wednesday.
His life was abruptly cut short after he reportedly plummeted about 14 meters into a courtyard of the Casa Sur Palermo hotel around 5pm local time, sustaining fatal injuries. The cause of the fall that led to Liam’s untimely death is still shrouded in mystery.
At age 31, Liam leaves behind his family and his seven-year-old son Bear, who was born to him and Cheryl in 2017 when he was just 23.
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Cheryl took to Instagram on March 25, 2017, to announce the birth of their baby boy with a heartfelt post featuring Liam cradling the newborn.
Expressing their joy, she wrote: “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.”
She went on to add: “We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever.”
Before settling on the name Bear, they debated whether to choose a traditional or more modern name for their son. However, during a 2017 interview with Total Access, Liam discussed the story behind his son’s unique name, sharing: “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.”
Initially, Liam wasn’t convinced, 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.”
In a later conversation with James Corden, Liam shared that one of the midwives at Bear’s birth had referred to him as ‘Bear’ in the delivery room due to his loud crying and the name stuck. Given their celebrity status, Liam and his partner, Cheryl, made a conscious decision not to share pictures of Bear’s face publicly.
However, in 2020, Liam revealed that his then-three-year-old son bore a strong resemblance to him, saying, “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! ‘”
In 2018, one year after welcoming Bear into the world, the couple announced they would go their separate ways after over two years together but committed to amicably co-parenting. The public was informed with a heartfelt statement: “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 this together.”
Fast-forward to 2022, when the father opened up about seizing every moment he can get with his son Bear, stating: “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. 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.”
