Liam Payne death latest: Cheryl says son Bear ‘has to face reality of never seeing father again’

Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates have said they are “devastated” over the singer’s sudden death , aged 31, after he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

Payne, who shot to fame after joining the pop group on reality TV contest The X Factor in 2010 along with Harry Styles , Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, was described as a “kind, funny and brave soul” in a tribute from his surviving bandmates.

Cheryl , the mother of Payne’s 7-year-old son Bear, has also posted a statement opening up about her grief at an “indescribably painful time.”

Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy said she is at “a complete loss”, while Simon Cowell , who was instrumental in the rise of One Direction, said Payne’s young son Bear will be “so proud” of everything his father achieved .

Payne’s cause of death was revealed in a preliminary autopsy on Thursday 17 October. Photos taken by officials of his hotel room showed it in a state of disarray, with a smashed TV screen and debris scattered around the surfaces.