EXCLUSIVE Seven-year
One hand supporting little Bear’s neck and the other on his bottom, the singer clasped him like he was the most precious thing in the world, just minutes after his birth at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on March 22, 2017.
He later posted the photograph on Instagram, alongside the words: ‘My close friends and family know there are very few times when I’m left speechless… wow!’
It was a moment that Bear’s mother, the singer and former judge Tweedy, who is believed to have taken the photograph, will hold in her heart for ever, now that their little boy will never see his father again. Liam, the former star, died on Wednesday evening, after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He was only 31. He did everything so early in life: fame at 16, fatherhood at 23, and now a terrible, senseless death before he really got to know his son properly.
Liam Payne with Cheryl Tweedy at the BRITs in 2018 before they announced their split
Heartbroken Liam Payne fans sing ‘Night changes’ in Berlin vigil
For Cheryl, 41, losing Liam is the latest sadness in what has been a tormenting few years for her. She had struggled to maintain the relationship between her much younger ex and their son, as Liam’s behaviour became increasingly erratic.
For Liam was far from a traditional dad, and he acknowledged himself that he was more ‘rock ‘n’ roll’. While he would regularly call Bear, he was rarely physically present in his life – although he didn’t shirk parental responsibility.
For, as I can reveal today, there were some areas in life in which Liam showed almost prescient maturity, and he provided well for Bear.
The seven-year-old stands to inherit the £30 million fortune that Liam made during his boyband years and which, despite his drug and alcohol addictions, he managed to cling on to.
He was also careful to invest in property, having bought a mansion in Buckinghamshire.
Friends say that some years ago Liam made arrangements for his money to go to his only child in the event of his death, despite the fact that there would often be thousands of miles between them, as the singer spent a lot of time in America. Most of their interaction occurred via video calls on FaceTime.
‘Liam had some very sensible people around him for a time and he adored Bear so much,’ said a source close to the late star. ‘He always wanted to do the right thing by him financially.
‘It is a small consolation that Bear will never want for anything, that he will at least benefit from that.’
But it will be Cheryl, supported by her loyal mother Joan, who will be left to deal with the emotional fallout from Liam’s death.
