Liam Payne said son Bear 'needs his dad' as he shared heartbreaking struggles

Liam Payne opened up on fatherhood and co-parenting his seven-year-old son Bear, whom he shared with his ex Cheryl Tweedy, in a candid interview before his tragic death

Liam Payne said his young son Bear 'needs his dad in his life' in a now-heartbreaking interview before his death.

The former X Factor singer sadly died on October 16 while on holiday in Argentina. Police and prosecutors continue to investigate the tragedy that led to the dad-of-one falling to his death from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel. Officials have suggested he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and was possibly unconscious as he fell.

The One Direction star is survived by his loved ones and seven-year-old son called Bear, whom he shared with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Tweedy. Liam was 23 years old 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.

Two years before Liam's death, he opened up about his life as a father and his relationship with his son. Speaking about his quality time with Bear, he 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 percent 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!'"

In 2018, a year after Bear's birth, the parents announced their split following two and a half years together, but vowed to remain close to raise their son. A statement read: "We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together."