Liam Payne, who died Oct. 16 at age 31, spoke many times about his love for his only son, Bear Grey Payne, who he welcomed in 2017 with ex Cheryl Cole.

Nobody loved Bear Grey Payne the way Liam Payne did.

The late One Direction member, who died Oct .16 in Argentina at age 31, leaves behind his 7-year-old son, who he welcomed in March 2017 with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole. While the former boybander was just 23 years old when his only child was born, he had a feeling he’d come into fatherhood early in life.

“I always wanted to be a young dad,” he told People in 2018, “but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place.”

Even then, Liam was bewildered by how quickly his son was growing.

“I look at him, like, ‘Where’s my little baby gone already?’” he continued. “He’s walking around the house, pretending his teddy’s a phone. He’s awesome. And a lot of fun. I love spending time with him.”

While the “Strip That Down” singer largely shielded Bear from the spotlight, he did share rare glimpses into his life as a father. In March, Liam celebrated the release of his single, “Teardrops,” with an image of his son looking at a promotional poster for the track.

Sharing the photo on Instagram, he seemingly quoted Bear, writing, “I want to be on a billboard one day daddy.”

Amid his struggles with fame and alcohol, Liam also fought to find purpose as a parent. In 2023, he revealed he was six months sober following a 100-day stay in a Louisiana rehab facility, crediting his ex and their son with helping him focus on his health.

Liam Payne / Instagram

“More than anything,” he said in a video published on his YouTube channel, “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, ‘cause I had to.”

The singer added, “There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach, and I don’t think up until this point I really had much to say to him, other than just caring for him deeply and loving him very deeply.”

To look back at Liam’s extraordinary life, keep reading.

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2010

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