Liam Payne Was a Dad to 1 Son Before His Death at 31: Everything to Know About 7-Year-Old Bear

Liam Payne left behind a young son when he tragically died at the age of 31 in October 2024. He shared his 7-year-old little boy with ex Cheryl (formerly known as Cheryl Cole).

Who Is Liam Payne’s Son?

Liam and Cheryl welcomed their baby boy, Bear Payne, on March 22, 2017.

“My close friends and family know there are very few times when I’m left speechless… wow!” Liam wrote on Instagram after Bear’s birth. “I’m incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world, it’s a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far. I’m completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she’s really made my dreams come true. We haven’t named him yet but he’s already capturing hearts including mine. I feel very blessed. Happy Mother’s Day everyone!”

Cheryl revealed in 2019 that Liam was the “softer” parent, while she tended to be more “strict” with Bear. “I’ll be the one saying, ‘Just one square of chocolate,’ but Bear is so good,” she told The Telegraph. “If I get cross with him, he puts his little hands on my face and looks into my eyes to see if I’m deadly serious or a tiny bit cross and it melts my heart.”

Just days before Liam’s death, he gushed over Bear’s intelligence by revealing that his son got an “A in geography.” He also previously shared that Bear will correct his text messages for him. “He’s far more smarter than I think I’ll ever be,” Liam said. “He’s a wonder, but he’s definitely learning to talk at this moment in time and it’s a lot of fun to be around to watch him grow.”

While the singer never shared any photos of his son’s face, he gave some insight into what the youngster looks like in August 2024, telling fans, “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.”

Liam Payne’s Relationship With Son Bear

In 2020, it was revealed that Bear was living with Cheryl during the COVID-19 lockdown. “Me and Cheryl decided I should be away for a little bit,” Liam explained to Ting. “It’s not unusual for me to be in and out of his life. He’s a quiet and chill child. He doesn’t worry about things too much.”

When headlines misconstrued the quote and made it seem like Cheryl wasn’t allowing Liam to spend time with their son, he clapped back on Instagram: “Usually I let these things slide but this is completely out of context. I couldn’t see my son because of the worldwide pandemic that is happening not because I had anything wrong with me like this headline hints at. This interview was done during the first nationwide lockdown at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and I was discussing not being able to see my child which is a difficult time for any parent.”

In March 2022, Liam told People he was seeing Bear “two times a week, three times a week sometimes.” He also added, “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–king around somewhere.”

Why Did Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole Split?

Liam and Cheryl split in 2018, one year after Bear’s birth, and he later admitted that how he handled the new addition to the family was part of the reason why. In a 2022 interview, the “Strip That Down” singer said, “To be honest with you, [becoming a dad] ruined a relationship for me at that point, but for all the right reasons. I was so excited for him to be born that I was actually worried I wouldn’t love him enough.”

However, he and Cheryl worked together as coparents after the split. “She is the best mom in the world,” he gushed. “I couldn’t ask for someone better. I get to take my son to school one or two times a week and it’s the best thing. The relationship we have now as friends has only grown more. We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he’s taken care of. He is all she cares about and I couldn’t ask for more. They live, like, three minutes from my house.”