Liam Payne Was a ‘Great Dad’ According to Ex Cheryl: ‘He’s Much Softer Than Me’

Fans around the world are mourning the unexpected death of former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, who fell from a third-floor balcony in Argentina on October 16. Plenty of celebrities — including Payne’s bandmates — have paid tribute to the singer.

Payne was a father to a seven-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cheryl. And Cheryl once talked about how great of a dad Payne was to his little boy.

Liam Payne’s ex Cheryl said Payne was a ‘great dad’

Cheryl and Payne first met on the set of The X Factor way back in 2009, when Payne was only 14 and Cheryl was a judge on the show. At the time, of course, there was no romance. By 2016, though, things had changed, and the two were officially dating. Cheryl later became pregnant, and she and Payne welcomed their son, Bear, in March 2017. However, the two announced their split in 2018, and they’ve been co-parenting ever since.

Payne has spoken highly of Cheryl as a mother, saying in 2022 that she “gives me full autonomy of my own life to be able to go and do what I do, and at the same time I know [Bear] is being taken care of.”

But Cheryl had the kindest words to say about Payne as a dad, too. “Liam is a great dad,” Cheryl told The Telegraph in 2019. “He’s much softer than me.” She added that she’s “the strict one” in the relationship when it comes to parenting. “Liam isn’t.”

Payne and Bear had a strong relationship. “I love to take my son to school, it’s so much fun and I know he loves it too,” he said on the Impulsive podcast in 2022. He talked about how he surprised his son one morning by waking him up after he’d been away. “That’s the best s***t, taking care of him and watching him grow.”

Payne is being remembered by many celebrities

Payne had many friends in the music world, and it’s been difficult for people to wrap their heads around his loss. Rita Ora held a concert in Japan shortly after learning of Payne’s death, and she could not get through their song “For You” without asking the audience to help her.

Other celebrities, including Charlie Puth and Halsey, also paid tribute. “As a parent, a fellow artist, and a fan, I simply cannot fathom this untimely loss,” Halsey wrote on Tumblr.