Liam Payne vowed to leave touching legacy for ‘mini-me’ son Bear, 7, before tragic balcony death

LIAM Payne appeared to promise his multi-million pound legacy to son Bear before his tragic death aged 31.

The singer, who fondly described his seven-year-old son as a “mini-me”, made the touching vow on a podcast with YouTuber Logan Paul.

One Direction star Liam passed away after falling to his death from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.

Speaking in 2022, Liam – reportedly worth some £46 million – opened up about co-parenting the tot with ex Cheryl.

The One Direction star said: “My life now is his, my money is his.

“I have actually got several companies that are up and running that I know he can run one day if he wants to or [he can sell them].”

It comes as…

• Heartbreaking 911 call from hotel staff revealed
• One Direction fans held candlelit vigils outside the hotel
• The singer posted on Snapchat just minutes before his death
• Rylan Clark and Dermot O’Leary paid tribute to the singer
• His ex-fiancée Maya Henry broke her silence after his death
• Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy’s message before he died
• Harry Styles’ mum pays heartbreaking tribute to the star
• Inside the hotel where Liam tragically died

Liam and Cheryl were together from 2016 to 2018 and welcomed son Bear in 2017.

Liam told Logan at the time that he was a “lovely boy” and described being a dad as “the coolest thing”.

He also fondly described Cheryl as “the best mum in the world” and thanked her for giving him “full autonomy” to pursue his career while taking care of Bear.

Before his death Liam wanted to carve out a “fresh start” with Cheryl, a source told OK! magazine in 2018.

They said: “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.”

And describing his relationship with his son in 2022, Liam said: “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*****g 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.””

The resurfaced comments about Liam’s dad duties come after his tragic death in South America this week.

Champagne, prescription drugs, white powder and foil wraps were all found in Liam’s trashed hotel room after he fell from the balcony at around 5pm (9pm UK time).

Fellow hotel guests revealed the star had been acting in a “disturbing” manner shortly before his fall, with Liam admitting to one woman: “I used to be in a boy band – that’s why I’m so f**ked up.”

Friends said Liam had been in a dark place in the past few weeks and turned to drink as he struggled with his career and other personal issues.

Liam’s record label Universal also reportedly dropped the star just a few days ago.

A source told The Sun exclusively: “His friends have been worried about him for weeks because he was struggling with his career and wanted to release some new music but he felt he wasn’t as good as his other bandmates, which they kept telling him just wasn’t true. He was just always so hard on himself.

“Then in recent weeks his drinking and suspected drug use started to worry his friends, they were actually planning an intervention, it was that bad.

“They were heartbroken seeing him this way – but just didn’t know how to go about staging a proper intervention.

“They’ve been worried sick about him, he’s just been in a bad place for the past few weeks. Lots of his friends had been telling him gently to get professional help or go to rehab but he just wouldn’t listen.

“The day of his death he was acting very off and erratically. One of his friends suggested to him again that he should get help but this just seemed to set him off more.

“Everyone is just distraught – their only comfort is that police have said he would have died instantly in the fall so he wouldn’t have suffered.”

Liam’s family released an emotional statement and paid tribute to the “kind, funny and brave soul”.

One Direction also released a group statement that read: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.

“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.

“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam. – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”

Cheryl has yet to comment publicly on Liam’s death.

Inside Liam Payne and Cheryl's romance

By Joanne Kavanagh

One Direction hunk Liam Payne was only 14 when he met former X Factor judge Cheryl during the show in 2008.

But it wasn’t until 2016 – when the Girls Aloud singer was divorcing her second husband – that the pair got together despite their ten-year age gap.

The couple made their relationship official in May of that year when they appeared at Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Gala in Paris.

In 2017, Liam paid a sweet tribute to his girlfriend by getting a tattoo of her eye on his arm.

Cheryl was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a boy on March 22, 2017.

She posted a picture on Instagram of Liam cradling their 7lb 9oz baby captioned: “On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy looking like a dream.”

One pal told The Sun: “Liam didn’t leave Cheryl’s side throughout the birth, and like her, he is besotted with their new son and can’t wait to take him home.

“This is the perfect Mother’s Day for Cheryl.”

The Sun revealed in May 2017 that the couple named their son Bear.

They decided on the unusual name after spending a week getting to know him.

In February 2018, The Sun broke the news that Liam’s constant travelling to promote his solo career had placed a huge strain on the relationship, and the pair were ready to split.

That same month, Cheryl said “none of it matters” as she shrugged off questions about her crumbling romance with Liam during a BBC Breakfast interview.

They then put on a united front together at the Brit Awards where they smiled on the red carpet and Cheryl joked about the couple’s ‘safe word’.

However, by July 2018, Cheryl and Liam made the decision to split.

A pal told The Sun: “Cheryl and Liam worked really hard on their relationship – they had troubles earlier this year and were able to get through them.

“But they’re in different stages of their lives and, after a lot of careful thought, came to a decision that it’s best for everyone if they do go their separate ways.”

Liam and Cheryl released a statement confirming their break-up which 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.”