Everything We Know About Liam Payne's Son, Bear
The world is reeling from the shocking death of former One Direction member Liam Payne, who fathered one son — Bear Gray Payne — with ex-girlfriend and fellow singer Cheryl Cole. The "Strip That Down" singer became a dad at age 23 when he welcomed Bear into the world on March 25, 2017.
People confirmed Cole's pregnancy in November 2016, just less than a year after Liam and Cole became an item. The exes met in 2010 when Liam competed on "The X-Factor," where Cole was a judge. When Liam announced Bear's arrival on Instagram, he described the experience as life-changing. "It's a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far," he wrote. He also thanked Cole for making him a dad: "She's really made my dreams come true."
Though Liam and Cole kept much of their son's life away from the spotlight, Liam shared in an interview with People that Bear was the spitting image of him. "When family members see baby pictures of me now, they say, 'Oh wow, Bear looks really great there!'" To be clear, Bear isn't a nickname. Liam revealed to Total Access in 2017 that although he was leaning toward a more traditional name for his son, Cole wanted something a bit more unique. Ultimately, they settled on Bear as they thought the name suited him. "He just likes to make a lot of noise," Liam explained during a "The Late Show with James Corden" appearance. "So he just became Bear." Like his dad, Bear also loves music and hopes to be famous one day as well (at least, according to Liam).
Will Bear take after his dad's footsteps?
On March 2, 2024, just five months before Liam Payne suffered a fatal fall in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the former One Direction member took to Instagram to share a picture of his son, Bear Grey, with his back facing the camera. The now 7-year-old (who celebrated his birthday later that month) is seen walking outside with his father's Spotify billboard in the distance (as seen above). In his caption, Payne shared his son's sweet reaction upon seeing the ad: "I want to be on a billboard one day daddy."
Previously, Payne mentioned to People how Bear Grey not only took after him in appearance but also inherited his passion for music. He would play demo tapes for him as a baby and watch Bear light up with excitement (his favorite song of his dad's is "Familiar," featuring Colombian singer J Balvin). "He loves it," Payne enthused.
Bear is fully aware that both of his parents are famous people. "[He thinks] it's pretty cool," his mom, Cheryl Cole, stated in an interview with British Vogue. However, "the problem is that [we] want Bear to have a normal childhood." After splitting from Cole in 2018, Payne vowed to give "100 percent" of his time and attention to Bear whenever they were together. According to him, Bear deserves a present father. "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," the "Sunshine" singer told People.