
Liam Payne’s former partner Cheryl has said her seven-year-old son Bear has to “face the reality of never seeing his father again”.
According to BBC, Payne, 31, died on Wednesday when he fell from the balcony of the third-floor hotel room where he had been staying in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Girls Aloud singer, who was in a relationship with Payne from 2016 to 2018, also criticised “abhorrent” media coverage following his death.
Posting on Instagram, Cheryl said: “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.”
Along with her statement Cheryl shared a black and white image of Payne with their son Bear and a broken heart emoji.
Cheryl also said she was troubled her son could access “abhorrent reports and media exploitation” and she can not protect him from it in the future.
“What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days,” she added.
“It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.
“I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces.
“Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them.”
Ending her statement, the 41-year-old urged people to give Payne “the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last”.
Cheryl’s social media post comes after Simon Cowell earlier paid his own tribute to the One Direction, saying he is “heartbroken” and feels “empty” following the singer’s death.
Cowell, who put the group together on The X Factor in 2010, remembered Payne as “kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful [and] talented”.
“Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote.
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