Liam Payne's parents' heartbreaking tradition when star was away - 'we miss him'

Late One Direction star Liam Payne enjoyed a close relationship with his mum Karen, dad Geoff and elder sisters Nicola and Ruth. The family were thrilled when he had his son Bear

Fans around the world have been left devastated by the sudden death of Liam Payne.

The former One Direction singer has died at the age of 31 after plunging from the third floor of an Argentinian hotel called Casa Sur Palmero.

It is believed the father-of-one was acting "erratically" in the lead up to the tragedy, with an employee at the hotel making an emergency call for assistance.

Liam was a huge star, beloved by millions of young fans around the world at the height of his band's fame.

Back home in Wolverhampton, he grew up in a close knit family who will be heartbroken at the news. The late singer-songwriter had enjoyed a happy childhood, with his dad Geoff working as a fitter and mum Karen a nursery nurse.

"It was great, though we didn't have much," he told The Telegraph in 2017. "Dad was in debt but they did the best they could. It makes you dream a bit, you know?"

The star has two older sisters, Nicola and Ruth, with the family overjoyed when the ambitious teenager's dreams came true on The X Factor. The band formed in 2010 and conquered the world but by 2016 they were on an indefinite hiatus.

Liam's family missed him so much when he was touring the world, they kept a cardboard cut out of him in their living room. "We miss him," said Karen in the band's 2013 documentary This Is Us. "He left home my little boy and became the boy in a magazine. If I have this I can still see him every day. When I see him on stage I absolutely burst with pride, but we do miss him so much."

"It's not just the mums, it's the dads that struggle, too," added Geoff, who sweetly wrote "proud to call myself Liam Payne's father" in his Instagram bio. "He's the only lad in the family and I'll never get this time back, he's gone. And I can't give him advice because he has seen more of the world than me."

Liam started dating Cheryl Cole in February 2015 and the following year, she was pictured beaming on the arm of her boyfriend as Liam's big sister Ruth got married. The One Direction star was an usher, while the Girls Aloud singer wore an understated floor length designer gown.

The couple's son Bear was born in March 2017 and Karen took to social media to express her joy, calling herself the "happiest grandmother". "I'm very proud of my children," she said. "Everything I've been doing lately is crying, because I'm very happy, now I have the most beautiful grandson in the world."

Days later, the family used Mother's Day for a celebration at their Surrey home, introducing their loved ones to Bear. "What a lovely day today has been," wrote Liam's eldest sister Nicola. "I honestly didn't know love at first sight until today."

"Happy first mothers day @CherylOfficial," cooed middle sibling Ruth. "I just love him". The three siblings were close, with Nicola celebrating National Sibling Day one year, saying "I will be looking after these two forever", calling the trio "payneos".

Three years ago, Liam, who separated from Cheryl in 2018, headed back to Wolverhampton to celebrate his niece's first birthday. He shared a photo of him with his sisters, calling it "family time", with Ruth adding: "It had been way too long for us all to be together".

Two years after Bear was born, Liam shared that his mum had given her grandson his old toys. "My mum brought all my old toys to the house," he told US Weekly. "Then Cheryl came one day to my house and she was like: 'Oh, he's playing with this red car all the time. It was yours.

"I was like: 'Is it a Jaguar?' And it was my favourite car when I was [young]. So he's literally like a little me."

But last year, mum Karen confessed to feeling "helpless" when her son took ill on a trip to Lake Como. Liam's illness came weeks after he told fans he needed to postpone his first solo tour when he was hospitalised with a serious kidney infection.

"We are all worried sick about it but we just have to get on," she told Mail Online. "It's horrible – him being all the way over there. He's in Milan and it sounds like he'll be there for a week. I feel helpless. All we can really do is sit it out here and hope for the best."