Liam Payne and Cheryl's 'struggle' with son Bear over big parenting decision

One Direction star Liam Payne, who tragically died falling from the third floor of a hotel on Wednesday, proudly had a son called Bear, whom he shared with ex Cheryl

Liam Payne and ex-partner Cheryl were doting parents to their young son, Bear, despite the end of the relationship in 2018.

The devoted mum and dad made sure to co-parent the seven-year-old until Liam's tragically early death after a fall from his third floor hotel balcony in Argentina last month. He was just 31. A body was found in an internal patio of the Casa Sur Palermo hotel shortly after 5pm local time. It's believed Liam fell from around 14 metres and suffered "very serious injuries incompatible with life".

A post mortem revealed the singer had died from multiple traumas leading to an "internal and external haemorrhage". At the time of his death a toxicology report stated that Liam had anti-depressants and cocaine in his system at the time of his death – despite having been clean from drugs just days before. But in the weeks after his death, three people are currently under investigation as local police forces attempt to get to the bottom of how Liam was in possession of illegal substances. However, it's since been claimed that Liam had asked a hotel employee to secure "seven grams" of "cocaine" prior to his death.

It's claimed that Class A drugs were smuggled to Liam's hotel room, disguised in a Dove soap box. Hotel staff have since stated that only employees have access to the location where the soap supplies are held. Three people have since been charged following the songwriter's passing.

Liam was 23 years old when he became a dad and 31 when he sadly died. The pair confirmed their split a year after they announced the birth of their son. On March 25, 2017, Cheryl posted the news of her and Liam's child on Instagram with a picture of the 1D star holding the baby. She wrote: "On Wednesday 22nd March Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream. Although he still doesn't have a name he is already stealing hearts."

She continued: "We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever." Before ultimately deciding on the name Bear, the former couple shared their struggle about whether their son's moniker should be traditional or modern.

In May 2017, Liam told Total Access about their debate: "It was like an internal battle. I wanted a more traditional name and she wanted a name that was more unusual. And the reason she chose Bear in the end was because Bear is a name that when you leave a room, you won't forget. And I like that. When I look at him, he's just Bear."

Liam added: "At first, I wasn't really having it. I was like, 'I'm not really sure. I don't really understand'. Now, I look at him and he's Bear. You become your name as you get older anyway." A few months later, Liam shared how one of the midwives at his birth called him 'Bear' in the delivery room, and the name carried on.

He told James Corden: "He had this thing where if they don't have a good cry, they get fluid in their lungs, which is quite serious, so he was like going 'grrrr'. I had like 10 doctors come in the room, and in the end, the guy was just like, 'Dude, I'm not being funny. There's nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.' And that's carried on ever since, so he just became Bear.."

Mindful of his celebrity status, Cheryl and Liam chose not to share any pictures of Bear's face. But the 1D singer revealed in 2020 that his then-three-year-old son looked like him. He said: "He looks exactly like me, which is very strange. When family members see baby pictures of me now, they say, 'Oh wow, Bear looks really great there!'"

In 2018, a year after Bear's birth, the parents announced their split following two and a half years together, but vowed to remain close to raise their son. A statement read: "We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together."

In 2022, Liam shared how he spent a lot of quality time with his son. He said: "I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes. And 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***ing around somewhere else. So, I like to give him those moments and it's important, he needs that in his life, he needs his dad in his life, and I'm happy he looks at me like a superhero, and I'm hoping to keep it that way."