Cheryl Cole shares photo of Liam Payne and their son Bear as tribute, describes his passing as an "earth shattering" event
Cheryl Cole mourns the death of Liam Payne, her ex-boyfriend and the father of her son, Bear, after the former One Direction member was found dead in his hotel in Buenos Aires. Payne died on Wednesday, October 16, at the age of 31 after falling from the balcony of his room on the third floor of Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentinian capital's hip Palermo neighborhood.
He suffered multiple traumas and internal bleeding from the fall, including a fractured skull, which caused his death, as per the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's office.
Days after Payne's death, Cheryl Cole took to Instagram on Friday, October 18, 2024, to remember the former One Direction singer. She shared a black-and-white throwback photo of the late British musician with their then-newborn son, Bear, in bed. In the caption, she spoke of her "grief" along with a reminder to everyone, saying:
"As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being."
The heartbroken mother proceeded to remember Liam Payne and share the pain of her son, who just lost his father. She said:
"Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the harsh reality of never seeing his father again."
Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole dated for about two years before they called it quits in 2018. They welcomed their son, Bear Grey, in 2017, the news of which they shared on Instagram in March of that year via a Polaroid shot of Payne cradling their newborn.
Cheryl Cole pleaded to the media to stop their "abhorrent reports" following Liam Payne's death
In her Friday Instagram post, which is the first time she's spoken publicly about Liam Payne's passing, Cheryl Cole slammed the awful news reports that have been released about Payne's death. She pleaded with the media to stop their "abhorrent reports and media exploitation" for the sake of her son. She wrote:
"What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future."
Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne have kept their son's upbringing away from the media frenzy. While they share snippets of their son on social media, they mostly keep him hidden from pictures, only showing his back or his hand. Part of Cheryl's statement on Friday begged the media to be more conscious and avoid causing "further harm" to those Liam left behind after his tragic death, writing:
"I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces. Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them."
Cheryl Cole closed her statement by requesting everyone to "give Liam the little dignity he has left" after his death to allow him to finally rest in peace.
The cause of Liam Payne's death gets an update after authorities released his preliminary autopsy reports. Forensic experts reportedly found 25 different injuries in his body, as cited by Fox News, which they deem "compatible with those raised by falling from a height."
The report also noted that Payne suffered from "craniocerebral lesions," an injury that is enough to cause death, along with internal and external hemorrhages in his skull and other parts of his body. Liam Payne's toxicology report is yet to be released.
