Liam Payne's fans hope one of late star's most beloved possessions goes to son Bear

One of Liam Payne's last posts on Instagram before his death was a photo of him and his dog - and a fan said they hope the pup will go to the former One Direction singer's son Bear

Liam Payne's fans hope that one of the late star's most beloved possessions will go to his young son, Bear.

The former One Direction singer tragically died after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16. Liam is survived by his family, including his seven-year-old son, whom he shared with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Tweedy.

Liam was 23 when he became a father and 31 when he tragically died. The former couple confirmed their split a year after they announced the birth of their "beautiful, healthy boy" in 2017 but they continued co-parenting, with Liam seeing Bear whenever he could.

One of Liam's last posts on Instagram before his death was a photo of him cuddling his dog while lying on the bed. Fans have now taken to the comment section to share their memories of Liam - and one shared a special wish, saying they "hope the dog goes to Bear."

Other fans clearly shared the sentiment as they liked the comment. Another one wrote in Spanish: "And now how do you explain to your dog that you won't come back??" The comment was followed by two crying face emojis.

In a now-heartbreaking interview before his death, Liam said his son Bear "needs his dad" as he spoke about their relationship. Speaking about his quality time with Bear, the singer told People in 2022: "I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes. And I make sure when I see him, he has 100 per cent of my time. I make sure that I'm not on my phone or d***ing around somewhere else."

Liam continued to touchingly share how much fatherhood meant to him, and how young Bear needed him too. He told the US publication: "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."

On March 25, 2017, Cheryl posted the news of her and Liam's child on Instagram with a picture of the 1D star holding the baby. She wrote: "On Wednesday 22nd March Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream. Although he still doesn't have a name he is already stealing hearts."

She continued: "We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever." Before ultimately deciding on the name Bear, the former couple shared their struggle about whether their son's moniker should be traditional or modern.

In May 2017, Liam told Total Access about their debate: "It was like an internal battle. I wanted a more traditional name and she wanted a name that was more unusual. And the reason she chose Bear in the end was because Bear is a name that when you leave a room, you won't forget. And I like that. When I look at him, he's just Bear."

Liam added: "At first, I wasn't really having it. I was like, 'I'm not really sure. I don't really understand'. Now, I look at him and he's Bear. You become your name as you get older anyway." A few months later, Liam shared how one of the midwives at his birth called him "Bear" in the delivery room, and the name carried on.

He told James Corden on his show: "He had this thing where if they don't have a good cry, they get fluid in their lungs, which is quite serious, so he was like going 'grrrr'. I had like 10 doctors come in the room, and in the end, the guy was just like, 'Dude, I'm not being funny. There's nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.' And that's carried on ever since, so he just became Bear.."

Mindful of his celebrity status, Cheryl and Liam chose not to share any pictures of Bear's face. But the 1D singer revealed in 2020 that his then-three-year-old son looked like him. He said: "He looks exactly like me, which is very strange. When family members see baby pictures of me now, they say, 'Oh wow, Bear looks really great there!'"

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