Liam Payne proudly spoke of his “mini-me” seven-year-old son, Bear Grey, in August this year, just two months before his shocking death following a balcony fall at a hotel in Argentina.
The former One Direction star reportedly fell from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires shortly after 5pm on Wednesday evening, local time.
He suffered injuries that were “incompatible with life”, according to city ambulance officer, Alberto Crescenti.
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Liam welcomed Bear with Girls Aloud pop star Cheryl Cole in March 2017.
In an Instagram clip posted in August, he praised the youngster, as he spoke about his 31st birthday.
“I didn’t get any dad socks yet though. I’m going to speak to my son in a little bit which I’m really excited about,” he said.
“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.”
Previously, Payne was in a relationship with Cole in 2016. However, the pair split in 2018. He also had a brief fling with supermodel, Naomi Campbell, before moving on to Maya Henry in 2019. That union ended in 2022.
At the time of his death, he was dating influencer Kate Cassidy.
In 2022, speaking to US People magazine, the former One Direction star said his son looked like a superhero.
“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****** around somewhere else,” Payne said.
“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.”
According to Argentinian outlet La Nacion the local police station was called by the hotel manager who reported “an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol”.
The fall was reportedly 13m to 14m and Payne suffered “very serious injuries incompatible with life”.
The head of local emergency services SAME (El Sistema de Atención Médica de Emergencias, Alberto Crescent said in a televised statement in Argentina: “At 17.04, through 911, the integrated public security system, we were alerted about a person who was in an internal courtyard of the Casa Sur hotel.
“At 17.11, a SAME team arrived and confirmed the man’s death. We later learned that he was a singer in a musical group.
“Unfortunately, he had injuries incompatible with life as a result of his fall, so we had to confirm his death. There was no possibility of resuscitation.”
Payne rose to global fame as part of the British boy band sensation One Direction, who formed on The X Factor UK in 2010 and went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
Alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan, Payne enjoyed monumental success, with hits including What Makes You Beautiful, Story of My Life, and Drag Me Down.
On October 2 Payne was spotted at former bandmate Horan’s concert in Argentina.