Liam Payne tragically died on 16 October 2024 aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
One Direction formed as a band in 2010 after Liam and his former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik impressed the judges on The X Factor, making it to the final after being mentored by Simon Cowell and going on to become one of the biggest boy bands in the world.
Musical stardom wasn’t the only thing Liam gained from his appearance on The X Factor, however. The star later found love with judge Cheryl, 41, and went on to welcome his son Bear, seven, in the two-year relationship he shared with the Girls Aloud star.
It was no secret that Liam struggled with his mental health and substance abuse following the fallout of One Direction in 2015, which resulted in the band’s indefinite hiatus. During a conversation with Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, the father-of-one spoke candidly about his battles with alcoholism and drug use, admitting he was at “rock bottom”.
The singer spent 100 days in a specialised rehab facility in Louisiana in 2023, and later celebrated six months of sobriety – a move he thanked Cheryl and Bear for “giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well at that moment.”
“There is no point trying to be a dad when you have nothing to teach,” he explained in a confessional YouTube video.
From his sweet moments with his son Bear to his honest reflections on parenthood, here’s everything the late singer has said about being a father.
© InstagramLiam reveals the best part of being a dad
During a radio interview in 2017 shortly after Bear’s birth, Liam said: “The best part about being a dad is when [your children] look at you. They don’t just look at you, they look into your soul, they look right through you.”
“He’s like mini me and he has [Cheryl’s] eyes. He’s smashed it on the eye front, I look at him and think ah, I love him.”
In a chilling remark, when the singer was asked what the scariest part about being a dad was, Liam said: “That he might grow up to be like me. You don’t understand, that’s a pretty scary thought.”
© Photo: InstagramHis ‘deep love’ for son Bear
Shortly after spending time in rehab, Liam told fans via his YouTube channel that his son is “awesome” and even praised his former girlfriend Cheryl for “coming to his rescue” when he needed it, as well as former bandmates Harry, Louis, Niall and Zayn.
“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 very deeply and loving him deeply, which is obviously the most important thing,” he added.
© InstagramLiam reveals his son is so clever
Speaking with fans in a YouTube clip, Liam revealed: “[Bear] actually texted me the other day from his iPad saying, ‘Hello, Dad.'”
The Strip That Down singer responded with “‘ello,” to which his son replied: “‘No, no, it’s not ello it’s hello with an H’. So, he’s learning really quickly.”
The star added: “He’s far smarter than I think I’ll ever be. 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.”
© InstagramBirthday presents from Bear
Earlier this year as the star marked his 31st birthday in August, the father-of-one made rare comments about his ‘mini me’ son while celebrating his 31st birthday.
In an Instagram video uploaded at the time, the late star told his followers: “I didn’t get any dad socks yet though. 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.”
© InstagramLiam described Bear as ‘his world’
Liam and Cheryl decided to call time on their romantic relationship one year after Bear was born.
At the time, the couple released a statement which read: “We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. 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.”
© Liam PayneLiam’s son Bear was his biggest fan
Liam revealed his son had said “I want to be on a billboard one day daddy,” after seeing the singer’s face on an advertisement.
Liam Payne’s rise to fame and career timeline
© Jeff Spicer- 2008: Liam auditions for The X-Factor at 14 years old and is told to come back in two years by Simon Cowell.
- 2010: Liam returns to The X-Factor auditions and is placed in a group with Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, forming One Direction. The band place third in the competition.
- September 2011: One Direction’s debut single, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ goes to number one in the UK and around the world. Since then, the band have had 14 top ten hits in the UK and four number-one albums on the Billboard 200.
- December 2011: Liam embarks on his first world tour with One Direction.
- November 2012: One Direction releases their second album, Take Me Home.
- August 2013: The band’s documentary film One Direction: This Is Us, hit the big screen, with thousands of fans supporting the film at its premiere in London’s Leicester Square.
- November 2013: One Direction releases their third album, Midnight Memories.
- December 2016: One Direction announce their indefinite hiatus.
- May 2017: Liam releases his debut single, ‘Strip That Down’, in May.
- December 2019: Liam releases his first and only album, LP1, which reaches the top 20 in the UK.
- March 2023: Liam releases a comeback single, ‘Teardrops’.
- October 2023: Reports that Liam’s second studio album has been put on hold.