How fatherhood changed Liam Payne's life, in his own words
Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. The former One Direction star leaves son Bear, seven, who he welcomed in March 2017 with ex-partner, Cheryl.
While the singer largely kept his son out of the spotlight, only sharing a few photos of him over the years, he did speak many times about his love for Bear and how parenthood had impacted his life.
How fatherhood changed him
Welcoming a son at the age of 23 changed Payne "in every way", he once said.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2017, he said a child is "the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about at night".
Becoming a young dad
In a 2018 interview with People, Payne described what it was like to become a young dad, explaining that it was something he'd always wanted.
"I always wanted to be a young dad, but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place,” he told the publication. "I had my son at a young age, and you think it will be a magical thing, that you’re going to grow up one day into the person you’re supposed to be. But it took a lot to find my footing. I figured, dad takes care of everyone, that’s what he does, so my thing was to cook."
The inspiration for Bear's name
Speaking on The Late Late Show with James Corden in September 2017, Payne revealed how the name 'Bear' came about. He said that when his son was a newborn in hospital, he made a noise in his sleep, which led to him being assessed by midwives.
Eventually, one doctor ascertained that there was "nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise. So he just became Bear," Payne told the host.
Bear's interest in stardom
In May, Payne posted a sweet snap to Instagram of his son wearing a yellow rain coat and looking up at a huge poster of the singer. "I want to be on a billboard one day Daddy," he captioned the shot.
Previously Payne had spoken about his son's music ability. "He'd set his iPad out on the floor, and you could see the little red line going and she was like, 'What are you doing?' and he was like, 'I'm recording a song, can you not see?'" Payne told Heart radio. "I mean, it scares me a little bit because I know what that can do to you."
Later, however, speaking on the Diary Of A CEO podcast Payne added: "I think his mum is hoping he's gonna become some yoga person. His mum is very chill these days. I would never stop him [entering the music industry] but I would let him know the risks. My parents did not experience what I had. I want him to do something he enjoys doing every day.
"He's got the best advice from the parents around him for the long run, but I don't know. Obviously, we protected his identity to start off with."
Co-parenting with ex-partner Cheryl
In 2018 Payne confirmed that he and Cheryl had separated, but remained focused on co-parenting their son together.
"It’s been a tough decision for us to make," Payne wrote in a tweet to fans. "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."
While the former couple have largely kept details of their family life private, in 2022, Payne told People that he saw Bear several times a week. "I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes," he said at the time. "And I make sure when I see him, he has 100% of my time. I make sure that I'm not on my phone or dicking around somewhere else."
In 2021, the singer told Glamour, that his ex was "literally the best person to co-parent with. No stress involved. It's very, very relaxed, and we spend a lot of time on FaceTime."
The joy of fatherhood
While he often commented how much he loved making music for his fans, nothing quite compared to getting the nod of approval from Bear. "For me, I love making great music for my fans," he said. "But when you make something that your son loves, it’s the best thing ever."
In 2022, the star spoke about how important it was to him that his son looked up to him. "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," Payne said.
The passing of time
In the same interview with People the year after his son's birth, Payne proudly commented that Bear was already growing up "so quickly".
"He was already huge when he was born," he told the publication. "I walked past a baby in the park and was like, ‘Mine was never that small!’ He was always massive. I look at him, like, ‘Where’s my little baby gone already?'"
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Read more on Liam Payne’s death:
Liam Payne death latest - live blog (Yahoo News UK)
Liam Payne tributes from Harry Styles' mum to celebrity friends (Yahoo News UK, 3-min read)
Liam Payne and Cheryl's romance from baby Bear to split (Yahoo News UK, 5-min read)
How to grieve a celebrity’s death (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
Liam Payne deserved our admiration. It shouldn’t have ended like this (The Telegraph, 6-min read)
