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
Liam Payne’s death this week left the entire world shocked 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. Many people have paid tribute to Liam, including his ex Cheryl Tweedy, the mother of their seven-year-old son Bear, who described his death as an “earth shattering event” as she 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 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 photo of Liam with their son. Bear was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on March 22, 2017. After posting a photo of his baby son on Instagram, Liam wrote: “My close friends and family know there are very few times when I’m left speechless… wow!”
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 provided for him. In 2019, he helped Cheryl pay for a home in the Buckinghamshire village of Chalfont St Peter and later bought himself a property nearby.
During their split, both Liam and Cheryl tried 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 has a strong Geordie accent. In the clip, the boy, who was three at the time, asked his mum to visit their local park sounding just like Newcastle-native Cheryl.
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.”
Then, 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”. He 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.”
After his dad’s tragic death, the child stands to inherit his fortune, estimated to be £46million. According to some of Liam’s friends who spoke to the Daily Mail, 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. A source said Liam “adored Bear so much” and always wanted to make sure his son was doing well. The source added: “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 said Liam died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after falling from the balcony of his room in Argentina’s capital. Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 said it was investigating 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 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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