Liam Payne vowed to turn his life around for the sake of his son Bear and former partner Cheryl Cole before his tragic death aged 31.
The One Direction singer’s body was discovered in the courtyard of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after falling three storeys from a balcony. Liam died instantly after sustaining “very serious injuries” that led to “internal and external haemorrhaging”.
Moments before his death, a worker at the hotel called the police and said that Liam was behaving erratically, claiming he had consumed drugs and alcohol.
After finding fame on The X Factor as a member of One Direction, the Strip That Down singer told Men’s Heath Australia that he had found his newfound success difficult to deal with and often turned to alcohol as a way to cope.
However, he wanted to “get his life together” for the sake of his son Bear, 7, who he welcomed with Cheryl, 41, in 2017.
Despite splitting the following year, the pair continued to co-parent, with both choosing to keep their son out of the public eye.
A source claimed that Liam was hoping for a “fresh start” with Cheryl, who he previously described as an “amazing mum” to Bear.
They told OK! magazine: “We don’t see a lot of Bear on Liam’s social media but I think he wants to prove to Cheryl that he’s getting his life together.”
Back in March, Liam shared a rare snap of Bear looking up at a billboard advertisement for his new music. The What Makes You Beautiful singer, who took the photo from behind Bear’s head, captioned the post: “I want to be on a billboard one day daddy”.
A few weeks later, Liam shared an adorable video showing the father-and-son walking through a park together. The pop star could be seen holding hands with his son, before letting go to ruffle his hair.
The caption read: “Bear is so tall” followed by a teary-eyed emoji and a bear emoji. Speaking to People in 2022, Liam gushed that Bear looks at him like a “superhero”.
He told the publication: “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 dicking around somewhere else.”
Liam added: “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.”