Liam Payne dies after balcony fall, leaving behind son Bear and ex Cheryl

Liam shared son Bear with ex-girlfriend Cheryl in 2017

Liam Payne, the former One Direction member, tragically passed away at 31 after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Prior to his untimely demise, he had reconciled with ex-partner Cheryl to jointly raise their cherished son Bear.

The heartbreaking event took place post Liam and his partner, Kate Cassidy, attending a show by Niall Horan, his former bandmate. Emergency services were promptly on the scene following his fatal plunge from the third-floor balcony.

Eyewitnesses recounted that an individual was behaving unusually at the hotel before the fall, potentially under the influence of substances. A body was discovered in the hotel's inner courtyard, prompting hotel staff to notify the police.

As per the Mirror, it is thought that Liam fell approximately 13 or 14 metres, suffering "very serious injuries incompatible with life."

Alberto Crescenti, a spokesperson for the ambulance service, confirmed the fall was roughly 40 metres high, resulting in "severe injuries which were incompatible with life," as reported by the Mirror US, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Liam Payne became a father to son Bear with Cheryl in 2017 when he was just 23. The pair separated the subsequent year but continued to share parenting duties, although Liam has been spotted with Bear only sporadically over the past seven years.

Cheryl, currently 40, has been shouldering most of the child-rearing responsibilities.

In March, Liam Payne melted hearts by posting a charming picture of his son Bear on Instagram. The image depicted the youngster in a vibrant yellow jacket, admiring a billboard featuring his dad's latest musical endeavour.

The caption read: "I want to be on a billboard one day, Daddy."

Insiders have revealed that following his split from Cheryl, Liam has faced personal challenges including rehab visits and mental health battles. According to OK! magazine, he's eager for a fresh start.

"We don't see a lot of Bear on Liam's social media but I think he wants to prove to Cheryl that he's getting his life together," the insider claimed.

With Cheryl getting ready to tour with Girls Aloud once more, she'll be absent more frequently, which has reportedly spurred Liam on to become more involved in his son Bear's upbringing.

In the wake of emotional troubles, Liam Payne is resolute in demonstrating to Cheryl that he can be an active and meaningful part of their son Bear's everyday life. Following One Direction's break and openness about the struggles with fame from an early age, along with the downturns experienced post-2016, Liam has correlated Bear's entrance into the world around the same period as his split with Cheryl.

The first encounter between Liam and Cheryl occurred when he was only 14, participating in The X Factor auditions. Their relationship hit the headlines in February 2016.

A mystery surrounded Cheryl's pregnancy until it was magnificently revealed during a L'Oreal photoshoot where she gloriously showcased her baby bump in a figure-hugging black dress. On Mothers Day 2017, the duo took to Instagram with coordinated posts announcing the birth of their child, featuring Liam tenderly holding their newborn.

Their love story hit a rough patch not long after welcoming their son, Bear, into the world. Liam opened up during a podcast in June 2022, speaking affectionately of his son as "a lovely, lovely boy" and lavishing praise on Cheryl, acknowledging her as "She is the best mum in the world, I couldn't ask for someone better."

Despite this, he acknowledged that the arrival of Bear had "ruined" his relationship with Cheryl "for all the right reasons". In the previous year, he was candid about spending 100 days in a rehab facility in Louisiana, addressing the issues that haunted him.

Liam reflected on his struggles during that time, saying, "I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually, because I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognise any more."