Liam Payne, who died on October 16 after falling from a balcony in Argentina, was a singer and former member of the hit boy band One Direction. He was also a proud father.

The 31-year-old artist welcomed a son, Bear, with singer Cheryl Cole in March 2017.

In interviews, Payne often spoke about his son, what it was like becoming a young father and more. Read on to find out more about Bear, Liam Payne's son.

Bear was born on March 22, 2017

According to People, Payne and Cole gave birth to their son on March 22, 2017, which they announced on Instagram.

At the time, Payne was 23 years old. He and Cole began dating in 2016. They later announced their separation in July 2018.

Payne spoke about the inspiration for his son's name on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in September 2017. The singer said as a newborn his son made a rumbling noise in his sleep, which led to him being examined by specialists. Finally a doctor said, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.”

“So he just became Bear,” Payne said on the show.

Then Payne, who launched a solo career after One Direction's dissolution in 2015, reflected on the unique joy of being able to make music for his son in a 2018 interview with People.

“I love making great music for my fans. But if you do something that your son likes loves“It’s the best thing ever,” he said at the time.

Liam Payne said he 'always wanted to be a young dad'

In a 2018 interview with People, Payne described what it was like becoming a new father, emphasizing that it was something he had always wanted.

“I always wanted to be a young father, but I didn't really expect I would ever be in this place,” he said at the time.

“I had my son at a young age, and you think it's going to be something magical, that one day you'll grow up to be the person you're meant to be,” he explained. “But it took a lot to find my way. I thought dad takes care of everyone, that’s his job, so cooking was my thing.”

At the time, he said that his son's growing up had already “gone by so quickly.”

“He was already huge when he was born. I walked past a baby in the park and thought, 'Mine has never been so small!' He was always massive,” Payne noted of his son. “I look at him and ask myself, 'Where has my little baby gone?'”

Liam Payne was Bear's father along with Cheryl Cole

Cole is an English singer and television personality who rose to fame in 2002 after appearing on the ITV reality show Popstars: The Rivals. She is also a member of the girl group Girls Aloud.

Payne confirmed this in 2018 that he and Cole had broken up but were focused on co-parenting Bear.

“It was a difficult decision for us,” Payne wrote in a tweet to fans. “We still have so much love for each other as a family. The bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate this situation together.”

Speaking about adjusting to his family while away from his son's mother, Payne explained that Bear was living in the UK with Cole at the time.

“Babies want their mother; “I never wanted to get in the way of that,” Payne said in 2018. “It was actually easier to go out on the street just knowing he wanted his mother.” Now he looks at me and points at me as he would say, ‘It’s that funny guy!’ He knows it.”

In 2022, he told People that he saw Bear several times a week.

“I see him twice a week, sometimes three times,” he said at the time. “And when I see him, I make sure he has 100 percent of my time.”