As the world continues to mourn the death of Liam Payne, those who knew him best are sharing their pain.
This includes perhaps his most famous ex-girlfriend.
Though Cheryl Cole and Liam only dated for two years, their time together made a huge impact on both their lives. Her grief is felt that much more deeply knowing that along with her own pain, she’s left to care for their 7-year-old son who no longer has a dad.
This one is just going to wreck your heart.
Cheryl Cole’s Tribute To Liam Payne
“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,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a throwback photo of Liam in bed with their then-newborn son, Bear.
She continued, “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.”
Cheryl then asked for kindness, as well as that her child be spared from too many details of his father’s tragic passing.
“Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them,” she begged.
“Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last.”
Their Romance & Son
Though their romance was brief, it ended happily for the pair.
Liam and Cheryl started dating in 2016, becoming the UK music scene’s golden couple almost overnight.
What may have started as a fling turned rather serious rather quickly as Cheryl became pregnant just a few months later.
The pair welcomed their son Bear on March 22, 2017.
“I always wanted to be a young dad, but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place,” he told People Magazine in 2018.
“I had my son at a young age, and you think it will be a magical thing, that you’re going to grow up one day into the person you’re supposed to be,” he explained. “But it took a lot to find my footing.”
Ultimately, Cheryl and Liam split in July 2018. In the years following, they seemed to have found a successful way to coparent.
“It’s been a tough decision for us to make,” Liam wrote in a tweet to fans.
“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.”
The Latest Details On Liam’s Passing
Liam tragically died on Wednesday October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his room at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
Police told the press that Liam sustained “extremely serious injuries” and that medical staffers declared him dead at the scene.
Later, with the release of the 911 call, mourners were clued in on his final moments, which were incredibly hard to hear.
“I’m calling [from] the CasaSur hotel in Palermo, Costa Rica 6032,” the manager of this establishment is heard saying in Spanish in audio obtained by the Sun UK and La Nacion.
“We have a guest who is drunk on drugs and alcohol. And, well, he’s … When he’s conscious, he’s breaking up the whole room. And, well, we need you to send someone, please.”
Ultimately, help for Liam came too late.