Reason Cheryl and Liam Payne chose son Bear's name as touching story resurfaces
Former One Direction star Liam Payne, who tragically died on Wednesday, had described the birth of his son Bear as his 'favourite memory' and a 'dream come true'
by Catherine Addison-Swan, Amelia Ward · ChronicleLiveTributes have poured in for Liam Payne after the 31-year-old singer died in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, with the shock news leaving millions of fans grieving around the world.
Following news of Liam's death, stories from the life of the former One Direction star have been shared by fans - including ones of the immense love he had for his and singer Cheryl's seven-year-old son Bear. Speaking when Bear was five, Liam told the Logan Paul Impaulsive podcast: "My life now is his. My money is his. I have several companies he can run if he wants one day or sell - but right now he's only five so we have a long way to go."
In 2019, Cheryl shared the unusual story behind Bear's name on RuPaul's What's The Tee podcast, revealing where the pair had got their inspiration from after spending weeks being unable to decide what to name their newborn son, The Mirror reports. The Girls Aloud star explained: "When I was in the hospital, he used to make these noises.
"We had specialists coming in to see what was going on, he was breathing like - quite cute but nothing worrisome. It was just him. The midwife used to come in and say: 'How's the little bear?' I didn't have the name prior…"
Cheryl added: "I couldn't get the nickname out of my mind. We toyed with others but I didn't want him to be the third such and such in his class. I wanted him to have a unique name."
Sharing the news of the birth of his son, a delighted Liam said at the time: "My close friends and family know there are very few times when I'm left speechless... wow! I'm incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world.
"It's a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far. I'm completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she's really made my dreams come true."
Liam's friends and family have promised to look after Bear in his dad's absence, with One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson telling his friend in a moving tribute: "I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was."
Liam's sister Ruth also vowed to her brother in a heartbreaking message: "Thank you for changing my life. Thank you for the incredible memories, thank you for being the best brother and friend I'll ever have! We'll take care of Bear and he will always know how incredible his dad is and how much you idolise him."
On Friday, Cheryl posted a photo of Liam with Bear as a baby to her Instagram page, describing his death as "earth-shattering" and "indescribably painful" in a statement. Saying that their son now had to "face the reality of never seeing his father again", the star slammed "abhorrent reports" that had surfaced following Liam's death and implored: "Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last."
While Cheryl and Liam split in 2018, the pair remained close as they co-parented Bear. Speaking to Ant Middleton on Straight Talking in 2019, Liam shared: "They're so important to me - Cheryl as well. She's one of the most, if not the most, important people in my life. Even though we're not together, Cheryl's always there for me. I'm lucky I have someone who understands what I'm going through."
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community