Former 1D star Liam Payne’s son Bear, seven, has been out of the spotlight throughout his life – but his parents have occasionally shared photos and videos of him on social media
Cheryl shares adorable video of Bear talking in 2020
The grieving friends and family of Liam Payne are preparing to put him to rest for the final time following his tragic death aged just 31 last month.
The passing of the former One Direction star left the whole world shocked after he fell from the third floor balcony of his hotel CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16. Following his death it emerged the singer and song writer had died from multiple traumas leading to an “internal and external haemorrhage”. Three people have since been charged following the tragedy.
In the weeks following Liam’s devastating death, further details have emerged about what happened in the lead up to the fatal fall. A toxicology report says Liam had anti-depressants and cocaine in his system at the time of his death. He had been clean from drugs just days before. Police in Argentina are still working to determine how the star had illegal substances at the time of his death.
It has also been claimed Liam had asked a hotel employee to secure “seven grams” of “cocaine” prior to his death. It’s claimed that Class A drugs were smuggled to Liam’s hotel room, disguised in a Dove soap box. Hotel staff have since stated that only employees have access to the location where the soap supplies are held. One of those charged, is said to be Liam’s friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, who was with Liam on a daily basis.
In the weeks since his death, fans around the world have come together to pay tribute to the talented singer, including celebrity friends and his ex-partner, Cheryl, who is the mother to Liam’s seven-year-old son, Bear. In the days after his death, 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.”
In her tribute, Cheryl also posted a sweet unseen photo of Liam with their son. Bear was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on March 22, 2017. 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 broke 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 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 star 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 posted glimpses of him on social media occasionally. Sharing 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 he had developed a strong Geordie accent after spending his early years alongside the native Newcastle star and her mum. In the clip, the boy, who was three at the time, asked his mum to visit their local park sounding just like northerner Cheryl.
As Bear grew older, Cheryl revealed he was taking after his parents in more ways – as she gushed about his talent for singing and performing. In a rare photo of Bear 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 Bear’s hand while preparing for her band’s concert at Sheffield Arena.
In March, Liam 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 her 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 told 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 dad’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 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.”
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