Liam Payne ‘leaves entire fortune’ to ex Cheryl and son Bear after dying without a will

Payne and Cole met on ‘X Factor’ and have one eight-year-old child together

The fate of Liam Payne’s £28m fortune has been revealed after the One Direction singer died without a will.

The 31-year-old, who first found fame through the X Factor, died after falling from the third floor balcony of his hotel, the CasaSur Palermo, in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 16 October 2024. A UK inquest found the star died of “polytrauma”.

At the time of his death, Payne had amassed a fortune of £28,595,000. This figure was reduced significantly to £24,280,000 after expenses and debts were paid in the aftermath of his passing.

Court documents, seen by The Independent, show that the singer Cheryl Tweedy – his former girlfriend and the mother of his eight-year-old son, Bear – has been appointed as one of the administrators of his estate.

The couple first met on The X Factor in 2008, when Liam was aged 14, and Tweedy was married to her now ex-husband and footballer Ashley Cole. Payne and Tweedy confirmed their relationship in 2016, shortly after Tweedy’s split from her second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

They welcomed their first child in 2017 with Payne calling the birth of Bear his “favourite memory” of his life.

Due to British laws of intestacy, which govern the affairs of those who die without a will, a deceased person’s estate is usually passed on to their lawful spouse or their nearest blood relative. Top music lawyer Richard Bray was also named administrator alongside Tweedy.

Singer died aged 31, after falling off his hotel balcony (Getty Images)

It is likely that the assets and funds will be held in a trust for his son until he is of adult age.

At the time of his death, Payne was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy, who he met in October 2022.

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Cheryl Tweedy and Liam Payne (Ian West/PA) (PA Wire)

Tweedy released a statement as news broke of Payne’s death, writing: “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.”

She added: “Liam was not only 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 that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”

The Independent has contacted representatives for Payne and Tweedy for comment.