Liam Payne: Cheryl pays tribute as dad Geoff Payne greets fans

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”.

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.”

In Argentina, Payne’s father, Geoff, was followed by a scrum of photographers as he visited the hotel where his son died, prompting fans to shout at the press and attempt to block the hotel door to stop them entering.

Mr Payne’s travelled to Buenos Aires after his son’s death and the journey from his hotel to the Casa Sur hotel was broadcast on Argentine television, despite family requests for privacy.

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 cannot 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”.

The tribute comes as Geoff Payne paused to read tributes to his son outside the Casa Sur hotel and say thank you to the gathered fans.

When he arrived, fans at the site created a barrier between him and the cameras, with some telling the BBC afterwards that they wanted to make sure he had space.

Mr Payne had earlier visited the morgue in Buenos Aires to officially identify his son, so that arrangements can be made for his body to be flown back to the UK.

A federal prosecutor told the BBC that Payne’s body has been “released”, meaning no further tests were being carried out and that identification could take place. An investigation into his death continues.

It is not yet known when Payne’s body will be repatriated to the UK.

Simon Cowell, who put the group together on The X Factor in 2010, earlier paid his own tribute to Payne, saying he is “heartbroken” and feels “empty” following the singer’s death.

Cowell remembered Payne as “kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful [and] talented”.

“Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote.

In a post on Instagram, Cowell added: “And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”

The talent show judge also said he had been thinking about the time they had spent together.

Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has also paid tribute to the star who she called “my angel”, adding she was “at a complete loss”.

“You are everything,” she said in a statement.

“I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life.”

In Cowell’s statement, he also recalled Payne’s first X Factor audition in 2008, at the age of 14, when Cowell told the budding singer he was not ready and to come back in two years.

“A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t. You came back and within months the whole world would know Liam.

“And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared.”

Cowell eventually signed One Direction to his label and masterminded their global success before they split in 2016.

The music mogul also revealed that Payne had visited him last year “just to sit and talk”, adding that they “reminisced about all of the fun times we had together”.

Cowell’s tribute came after Payne’s former bandmates posted their own heartfelt memories.

Also on Friday, Payne’s bandmate Niall Horan posted a tribute, saying he was “absolutely devastated” by the “passing of his amazing friend”.

Harry Styles earlier said his “heart breaks” for Payne’s family. He added: “His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.”

Louis Tomlinson echoed Styles’ sentiments, describing Liam as “the most vital part of One Direction” who had a “gift for writing”.

Zayn Malik spoke to Payne directly in his statement, praising him for his “positive outlook and reassuring smile”.

Others posting their reactions included another former X Factor judge, Sharon Osbourne, whose message to Payne said the music business “let you down”.

“Where was this industry when you needed them?” she wrote.

“You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner? Rest in peace my friend.”

Fans gathered in the singer’s home city of Wolverhampton for a vigil on Friday evening.

Additional reporting by Ione Wells, South America correspondent reporting from Buenos Aires