Liam Payne hoped for fresh start with son Bear alongside Cheryl before his tragic death

Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, has died at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Before his untimely death, he had reunited with ex-girlfriend Cheryl to co-parent their beloved son Bear.

The tragic incident occurred after Liam and his partner, Kate Cassidy, attended a performance by Niall Horan, his ex-bandmate. Following his fatal fall from the third-floor balcony, emergency services rushed to the scene.

Witnesses reported that someone was acting erratically at the hotel prior to the fall, possibly under the influence of substances. A body was found in the hotel's inner courtyard, and police were alerted by hotel staff.

According to the Mirror, Liam is believed to have fallen around 13 or 14 metres, sustaining "very serious injuries incompatible with life."

Ambulance service spokesperson Alberto Crescenti stated the fall was approximately 40 metres high, resulting in "severe injuries which were incompatible with life," reports the Mirror US.

READ MORE: Liam Payne - tributes pour in from across the world after death of One Direction star

Liam Payne became a father to son Bear with Cheryl in 2017 when he was 23. The couple split the following year but continued to co-parent, although Liam has been seen with Bear only occasionally over the past seven years.

Cheryl, now 40, has been managing most of the parenting responsibilities.

In March, Liam Payne warmed hearts by sharing a sweet snap of his son Bear on Instagram. The photo showed the little one in a bright yellow jacket, admiring a billboard with his dad's latest music venture.

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

An insider had revealed that following his split from Cheryl and personal struggles, including stints in rehab and battles with mental health, Liam was keen for a fresh start, as OK! magazine reports.

"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," said the source.

With Cheryl set to hit the road again with Girls Aloud, she'll be away more often, something which had left Liam eager to step up as a father.

This comes as Liam Payne is determined to show Cheryl he can be a significant presence in their son Bear's life, after enduring much emotional turmoil. Having spoken candidly about the "scars" from early fame and the low points following One Direction's hiatus in 2016, Liam acknowledged that Bear's birth coincided with the end of his romantic relationship with Cheryl.

Liam first met Cheryl when he was just 14, auditioning for The X Factor. Their romance became public in February 2016.

Cheryl had kept her fans guessing for months before unveiling her pregnancy during a L'Oreal photoshoot, where she proudly displayed her baby bump in a fitted black dress. On Mother's Day 2017, the couple shared the news of their baby's arrival with matching Instagram posts featuring Liam cradling their newborn.

However, their romance was short-lived, as Liam later revealed that they began experiencing problems after the birth of their son, Bear. In a podcast interview in June 2022, Liam described Bear as "a lovely, lovely boy" and praised his ex-partner, saying, "She is the best mum in the world, I couldn't ask for someone better."

Nevertheless, he confessed that Bear's arrival "ruined" his relationship with Cheryl "for all the right reasons". The previous year, the former One Direction star admitted to spending 100 days in a specialised rehab facility in Louisiana to confront his past traumas.

He explained: "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."