Cheryl Cole has broken her silence with a heartbreaking tribute to Liam Payne following his sudden death.
The former One Direction star died after falling 45 feet from a third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Argentina.
The Girls Aloud singer was previously in a relationship with Payne for two years, and the couple welcomed their son Bear Gray into the world on March 22, 2017.
The grieving mother took to Instagram to recount her anguish as she attempts to “navigate this momentous event.”
Her statement read: “As I try to navigate this momentous event and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time.”
Cheryl Cole has broken her silence with a heartbreaking tribute to Liam Payne following his sudden death
The grieving mother took to Instagram to recount her anguish as she attempts to “navigate this momentous event.”
‘I would like to remind everyone that we have lost a human being.
“Liam wasn’t just a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven-year-old son.
“A son who now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
The pair initially crossed paths on the hit talent show in 2008, however it wasn’t until 2016 that their relationship began.
They made their official red carpet debut at Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Gala in Paris that year, with Payne paying tribute to Cheryle with a tattoo of her eye on his arm.
On March 22, 2017, the Girls Aloud singer gave birth to her son Bear, and previously wrote on Instagram: “On Wednesday, Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful and healthy baby boy who looks like a dream.”
However, a year later, in July, Cheryl and Liam announced their separation.
Before his sudden death, around 5 p.m. (ART), the pop star had attended his former bandmate Niall Horan’s tour in the Latin American country.
A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing at the concert with his current partner Kate Cassidy.
After the concert, she posted a tragic photo with Niall on Snapchat with the caption: “Reunited.”
Separate posts from the final moments of the star’s life showed him enjoying lunch in his hotel room, where he revealed that the couple had “woken up at 1pm every day” and had decided on Forest Gump as their costume. Halloween.
Another tragic selfie was captioned: “Beautiful day in Argentina” before the star shared a photo from her hotel, writing: “Happy to have had some time off” followed by a heart emoji.
He shared another photo with Kate with the caption: “Quality time.”
Liam began his quest for stardom when he initially auditioned for the X Factor in 2008.
At just 14, Liam impressed the judges with his own version of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, but was later eliminated from the show.
However, Payne gave his singing career another shot by auditioning for the competition again in 2010, where he quickly rose to fame as part of One Direction.
He and his former bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were brought together by Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger, who saw their potential as a group.
A selfie of Liam Payne in Argentina before his sudden death at age 31
Payne was seen contemplating a Forest Gump Halloween costume: he would die just 15 days before the holiday.
The star heartbreakingly said she was “happy to have some time off” less than an hour before she fell to her death.
After a few weeks of getting to know each other and rehearsing non-stop, the group impressed Simon at their audition for Judge’s Houses and moved on to the live shows.
Pop Svengali later admitted to Rolling Stone that it took him “about a millionth of a second” to spot the group’s global potential.
Fan reaction was also instant, and 1D’s hysteria soon overshadowed the show. Despite the adoration, the band eventually finished third on the X Factor, but soon after Cowell sealed their fate by signing all five to a £2 million Syco contract.
Eager to capitalize on the boys’ already devoted fan base, Cowell moved quickly with recording the band’s debut album beginning in January 2011.
In September of that year, One Direction’s first single was released, with What Makes You Beautiful reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, after becoming Sony Music Entertainment’s most pre-ordered single in history.
Their debut album, Up All Night, was also a bestseller, becoming the best-selling debut album in the UK in 2011, and the record led to their first tour which began in the UK in December.
After Malik announced his departure from the band in 2016, the band members went their separate ways.
During their time as a group, One Direction won five Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, racked up more than three billion YouTube views, and sold 50 million records worldwide.
After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boy bands of all time, Liam released his first solo album titled LP1 in 2019.
His single Strip That Down co-written with Ed Sheeran rose to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.
Payne’s bandmates in 1D said “in time, and when everyone can do it, there will be more to say.”
In a statement signed “Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry”, Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates said they were “completely devastated”.
After Malik announced his departure from the band in 2015, the band went their separate ways.
After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boy bands of all time, Liam released his first solo album titled LP1 in 2019.
Throughout her music career, the pop star collaborated with artists such as J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
Candles are placed on the pavement as fans of former One Direction singer Liam Payne gather to honor him.
Excited One Direction fans hug each other as they pay tribute to the late pop star.
Fans light candles outside the hotel where former One Direction Payne was found dead
Fans have also paid tribute to the star in Mexico City
One Direction fans gather to pay tribute to Liam Payne, at the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City
Throughout her music career, the pop star collaborated with artists such as J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
He was previously in a relationship with British pop sensation Cheryl Cole and the couple welcomed their son Bear Gray on March 22, 2017. The parents later separated in 2018.
Following his romance with Ms. Cole, Liam had an on-again, off-again relationship with his ex-fiancee Maya Henry, with the couple breaking up in May 2022.
Fans gathered outside the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Argentina and held several vigils in memory of the beloved pop star.
This is breaking news. More to follow.