Cheryl breaks silence on 'indescribably painful' death of Liam Payne
Cheryl has spoken out following the death of her ex-boyfriend and the father of her son, Liam Payne, who tragically died at the age of 31
by Kathryn Riddell, Ellie Iorizzo PA Senior Entertainment Reporter · ChronicleLiveCheryl has spoken out about the "indescribably painful" loss of former partner Liam Payne, expressing concern for their seven-year-old son Bear.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Cheryl, who was in a relationship with Payne from 2016 to 2018, shared her anguish: "As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being". Alongside a black and white photo of Payne with his son, the singer from Newcastle 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."
The 41-year-old continued: "What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.
"I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces. Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them.
"Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last."
Following the tragic death of Payne at the age of 31, his girlfriend Kate Cassidy has spoken out, stating "nothing about the past few days have felt real". The social media influencer, who had been with Payne for approximately two years, expressed her profound grief after Argentine police reported that the singer died from a fall from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
In a heartfelt statement on her Instagram story, Cassidy thanked everyone for their kind words and love, saying: "I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real."
She vowed to continue loving Payne "for the rest of my life", adding: "I love you Liam."
Her tribute was posted shortly after music mogul Simon Cowell expressed his devastation over the singer's death in an Instagram post.
Payne rose to fame alongside Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles when Cowell assembled them into One Direction on the ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010. Cowell wrote: "You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens," adding, "Liam, I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty.
"And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you."
Cowell expressed that the singer's son Bear will be "so proud" of his achievements during his 31 years. "I have met your son, Bear. He has your smile and that twinkle in his eyes you have," Cowell penned.
"He will be so proud of everything you achieved. And how you achieved it."
The 65-year-old music industry giant stated he would tell Payne's thousands of fans that he was "kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused" and "how much love you genuinely had for the fans". Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 at the age of 14, performing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Cowell advising him to return to the talent show two years later.
In 2010, he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Bublé's Cry Me A River before being grouped with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction. Cowell continued: "I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn’t your time. And we both made a promise that we would meet again. A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t.
"You came back and within months the whole world knew Liam. And you never forgot the fans.
"I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared."
Cowell revealed that Payne had visited him last year "not for a meeting, just to sit and talk" and they "reminisced about all of the fun times we had together".
"After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I had met all of those years ago," he said. Cowell reflected on the bond between the One Direction members, saying he always felt they were "brothers".
The comments follow Niall Horan's emotional post, where he stated he will "cherish every moment" with Liam Payne "forever". Horan had recently seen Payne at his concert in Argentina, expressing how lucky he felt to have that last encounter: "I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking." Payne's fellow bandmates also shared heartfelt messages, while a collective statement from One Direction expressed their complete devastation, saying they will miss him "terribly" and that the "memories we shared with him will be treasured forever".
Payne's family released a statement sharing their grief and saying: "Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul."
The cause of death was reported as multiple traumas with "internal and external haemorrhage", according to a post-mortem examination.
The incident is currently under investigation by Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 as an "inconclusive death".
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