Nobody cherished Bear Grey Payne the way in which 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 While the previous boybander was simply 23 years outdated when his solely youngster was born, he had a feeling he’d come into fatherhood early in life.

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

Even then, Liam was bewildered by how shortly his son was rising.

“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 highlight, he did share uncommon glimpses into his life as a father. In March, Liam celebrated the discharge of his single, “Teardrops,” with a picture of his son a promotional poster for the observe.