Nobody loved Bear Grey Payne the way Liam Payne did.

The late One Direction member, who died Oct .16 in Argentina at age 31, leaves behind his 7-year-old son, who he welcomed in March 2017 with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole. While the former boybander was just 23 years old when his only child was born, he had a feeling he’d come into fatherhood early in life.

“I always wanted to be a young dad,” he told People in 2018, “but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place.”

Even then, Liam was bewildered by how quickly his son was growing.

“I look at him, like, ‘Where’s my little baby gone already?’” he continued. “He’s walking around the house, pretending his teddy’s a phone. He’s awesome. And a lot of fun. I love spending time with him.”

While the “Strip That Down” singer largely shielded Bear from the spotlight, he did share rare glimpses into his life as a father. In March, Liam celebrated the release of his single, “Teardrops,” with an image of his son looking at a promotional poster for the track.

Sharing the photo on Instagram, he seemingly quoted Bear, writing, “I want to be on a billboard one day daddy.”

Amid his struggles with fame and alcohol, Liam also fought to find purpose as a parent. In 2023, he revealed he was six months sober following a 100-day stay in a Louisiana rehab facility, crediting his ex and their son with helping him focus on his health.

Liam Payne, Bear Grey Payne, PhotoLiam Payne / Instagram

“More than anything,” he said in a video published on his YouTube channel, “I want to say thank you to him and his mum for giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment, ‘cause I had to.”

The singer added, “There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach, and I don’t think up until this point I really had much to say to him, other than just caring for him deeply and loving him very deeply.”

To look back at Liam’s extraordinary life, keep reading.

Liam Payne, 2010Neil Mockford/FilmMagic

2010

Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, One DirectionYui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images

2010

Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, One Direction, 2011Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage

2011

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Liam Payne, 2012Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

2012

Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, One Direction, 2012Michael Kovac/WireImage

2012

Liam Payne, 2012Kevin Kane/Getty Images

2012

Liam Payne, Sophia Smith, 2013David M. Benett/WireImage

2013

New One Direction, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, 2014Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

2014

Liam Payne, 2014Jason Merritt/Getty Images

2014

Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, One Direction, 2015Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

2015

Liam Payne, 2015Karwai Tang/WireImage

2015

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Cheryl Cole, Liam Payne, Cannes 2016Venturelli/WireImage

2016

Liam Payne, Power 96.1?s Jingle Ball 2017Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

2017

Liam Payne, 2017Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

2017

Liam Payne, 2018Karwai Tang/WireImage

2018

Liam Payne, 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, VMAsJamie McCarthy/Getty Images

2018

Liam Payne, 2019Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for ABA

2019

Liam Payne, 2020Michael Sohn/AP/Shutterstock

2020

Liam Payne, 2021 BAFTA AwardsEE/BAFTA/Shutterstock

2021

Liam Payne, 2021Joe Maher/Getty Images

2021

Liam Payne, 2022Karwai Tang/WireImage

2022

Liam Payne, 2022JC Olivera/Getty Images

2022

Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy, 2023Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal

2023

Liam Payne, 2023Dave Benett/Getty Images for Annabel’s

2023

Liam Payne, 2024Marc Piasecki/GC Images

2024