Tragic news emerged late on Wednesday night, October 16, that former One Direction member Liam Payne has died. It is being reported widely that the star fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
The 31-year-old was on holiday with his partner, Kate Cassidy, at the time. Tributes have been flooding in since the heartbreaking news of his death was announced.
He leaves behind a young son, Bear, whom he shares with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl. Liam became a father at the young age of 23 when he and Cheryl, a former X Factor judge, welcomed their son in March 2017.
Their high-profile relationship, which lasted two and a half years, was frequently in the spotlight. It started years after they first met during the ITV talent show.
Liam’s journey to stardom began when he first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 at just 14-years-old. At the time, Cheryl, then married to footballer Ashley Cole, was a judge on the show, reports the Mirror.
When he returned for another attempt in 2010, she was still a panel member. Initially auditioning as a solo artist, he was then grouped with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson to form the globally successful boyband One Direction.
Liam and Cheryl’s romantic relationship only became official years after One Direction had achieved worldwide fame. The couple started dating in 2015 and made their first public appearance together the following year.
Cheryl was 32 and Payne was 22 when they began their secret romance in December 2015. Rumours of their relationship began surfacing in February 2016.
During their whirlwind romance, the couple were thrilled to welcome their son Bear Grey Payne. On Mother’s Day 2017, Cheryl and her partner made the joyful announcement of their boy’s arrival with matching Instagram posts.
At the time, Liam wrote: “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 favourite memory I have so far. I’m completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this. She’s really made my dreams come true.”
Despite the initial bliss, the couple’s romance seemed strained with tensions emerging in 2018. By July, they had publicly split.
Although Cheryl, now 41, and Liam went their separate ways, both remain dedicated to co-parenting their child. The seven-year-old boy is kept away from the social media spotlight by his parents, who are keen to protect his privacy as he grows up.