Cheryl's 'sentimental plan' for Bear after Liam Payne's death as family 'rally around her'

Cheryl expressed her heartbreak over the death of her son Bear's dad Liam Payne in an Instagram post, days after he fell from a third-floor balcony in Argentina aged 31

Cheryl will "make sure" her son Bear knows all about his late father Liam Payne's life and career when he's older, a source has claimed.

The One Direction star turned solo artist died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week aged 31. Away from the spotlight, he was a doting dad to seven-year-old Bear who he and his ex-partner Cheryl welcomed back in 2017.

The Girls Aloud star has since paid tribute to the father of her child, admitting she is facing an "indescribably painful time". And a source has now told New Idea Magazine: "Her family's rallying around her so she can be strong for Bear.

"Bear's a mini-Liam - Cheryl's going to make sure he knows everything about his dad as he gets older."

The 41-year-old singer paid tribute to Liam on her Instagram page, where she described his death as an "earth shattering event" and an "indescribably painful time".

As part of the post, she also shared an adorable picture of the late pop star laying in bed with Bear, looking every inch a doting father. In response to Cheryl's post, many of her 3.4 million followers flocked to the comments section to send their condolences, including Amanda Holden, Olly Murs and Susanna Reid.

Liam and Cheryl remained friends following their split after two years together in 2018. Since going their separate ways, the Strip That Down hitmaker had nothing but praise for his ex, who he described as "the world's best mum" in various interviews.

Liam also regularly gushed about fatherhood and their son, whose identity has been kept out of the spotlight for protection. Previously opening up about becoming a dad aged just 23, he shared: "I put my time in with my son and I also like to speak to people who are new dads also because you don't know what's coming and it's different.

"And, you know, to be honest with you, it ruined a relationship for me at that point but for all the right reasons, and it's like you think kids are a blank page [when] they're born. When Bear was first born I was so excited for him to be born, but I thought, what if I don't love him enough? It was such a worry for me."

Speaking on The Impaulsive podcast, he went on to say that while his son lived with Cheryl full-time, as he continued with his career, he made sure he was always there for him. At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy for two years.