Nobody loved Bear Grey Payne the way Liam Payne did.
The late One Direction member, who died Oct .16 in Argentina at age 31, leaves behind his 7-year-old son, who he welcomed in March 2017 with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole. While the former boybander was just 23 years old when his only child was born, he had a feeling he’d come into fatherhood early in life.
“I always wanted to be a young dad,” he told People in 2018, “but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place.”
Even then, Liam was bewildered by how quickly his son was growing.
“I look at him, like, ‘Where’s my little baby gone already?’” he continued. “He’s walking around the house, pretending his teddy’s a phone. He’s awesome. And a lot of fun. I love spending time with him.”
While the “Strip That Down” singer largely shielded Bear from the spotlight, he did share rare glimpses into his life as a father. In March, Liam celebrated the release of his single, “Teardrops,” with an image of his son looking at a promotional poster for the track.