A look back at Liam Payne's first-ever meeting with Cheryl at just 14 - including a cheeky wink

The sudden death of Liam Payne has sent shockwaves around the world after the 31 year old singer was found dead in his hotel room in Argentina. The former One Direction star tragically passed away after falling from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, suffering "severe injuries which were incompatible with life."

According to city ambulance spokesman Alberto Crescenti, the singer had fallen approximately 40 meters before his body was discovered in an internal patio of the hotel. .

Liam leaves behind a seven year old son, Bear, whom he shares with ex-partner and fellow pop star Cheryl. Before achieving global fame as part of the UK's biggest boyband, Liam first appeared on the X Factor as a solo act in 2008 when he was just 14.

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It was during this audition that he first crossed paths with Cheryl, who was serving as a judge on the show at the time, reports the Mirror .

At the time, Cheryl, then 24, was married to footballer Ashley Cole, but she would later become romantically involved with Liam and give birth to their son. During his audition, Liam confidently performed Frank Sinatra's Fly Me to the Moon, impressing judges Cheryl, Simon Cowell, and Louis Walsh.

In a memorable moment, Liam gave Cheryl a cheeky wink mid-performance, which seemed to win her over. She told the young hopeful: "I like you, I think you're really cute. I think you've got charisma - you give us that little cheeky wink," before advancing him to the next round.

Cheryl and Liam's love story blossomed years after One Direction's rise to global fame. The couple, who have a ten-year age gap, started dating in 2016 and later welcomed their son Bear Grey Payne.

Upon Bear's arrival, Liam shared his joy on Instagram: "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 favorite memory I have so far."

Despite their high-profile status, Cheryl expressed her desire to British Vogue for Bear to enjoy a "normal childhood" away from the public eye. Reflecting on fatherhood, Liam opened up in an interview two years prior, expressing gratitude for the quality time with Bear: "Time with Bear has been really, really great, honestly. More than anything I want to say thank you to him and his mum for giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment because I had to."

He also spoke fondly of Bear in a YouTube video, saying, "I kind of feel I've got more of a grip on life now, he's awesome. He's growing up far too quickly, it's a lot of fun to be around to watch him grow."