Liam Payne 'internal battle' with Cheryl Cole over decisions regarding their son Bear

Daily Record

08-05-2025

The One Direction star, who died age 31 from falling from the third floor of a hotel in October last year, left behind millions for his son Bear, with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl being granted the authority to manage his estate
Liam Payne and ex-girlfriend Cheryl co-parented their beloved son Bear after the couple went their separate ways in 2018. The One Direction star died without writing a will after he fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last October.
Cheryl, who described his death as an "earth shattering event," has now been granted the power of administration of the late singers estate. Liam left behind £24.3million, much of which is set to be going to his eight-year-old son, Bear.
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Court documents filed on May 1 reveal that music lawyer Richard Bray has also been appointed as an administrator, the Mirror reports.
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Liam was only 23-years-old when he became a father to Bear in 2017, with the couple separating just a year later.
In an interview the star revealed he had an 'internal battle' when it came to naming his only son - and Cheryl decided on Bear despite Liam not being the biggest fan.
In May 2017, Liam expressed to Total Access: "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 continued: "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."
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A few months later, Liam revealed how one of the midwives had called him 'Bear' in the delivery room, and the name stuck.
On March 25, 2017, Cheryl shared the news of the birth of her son on Instagram, posting a picture of the One Direction star holding his son.
She stated: "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."
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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 settling on the name Bear, the former couple shared their struggle over whether to choose a traditional or modern name for their son.
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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."
Despite being in the public eye, both Cheryl and Liam chose not to share any pictures of Bear's face online. Although Liam revealed in 2020 that his then three-year-old son looked just 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!'"
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In 2018, a year after Bear's birth, the couple announced their split after two and a half years together but pledged to stay close for the sake of raising their son.
There 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."
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Back in 2022, Liam shared how he spent a lot of quality time with his son, saying: "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."
Following Liam's death Cheryl paid tribute to her son's father, describing his death as an "earth-shattering event."
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At the time she said: "As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being."
"Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven-year-old son. A son who now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again."
The Girls Aloud singer continued, writing: "What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.
"I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces."
"Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them. Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last. Thank you, Cheryl."