Liam Payne shared fond words about his seven-year-old son in one of the last public messages he posted about him before the singer passed away at the age of 31.
Payne, who rose to fame as one fifth of the British band One Direction, is confirmed to have died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina.
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Police were called to the scene at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires at around 5.00pm local time, at which point the hotel manager told them a man had fallen from the balcony of his room.
In a statement, the head of the state emergency medical system, Alberto Crescenti, said Payne had suffered 'injuries that were incompatible with life, as a result of his fall'.
"We had to confirm his death, there was no possibility of resuscitation," he said.
News of Payne's death has prompted fans to look back on his recent social media posts, one of which saw the dad gushing about his son, Bear.
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Payne welcomed his now-seven-year old with singer Cheryl Cole in 2017, though the parents split up the following year.
The former One Direction star said at the time he and Cole would be co-parenting Bear, saying: "We still have so much love for each other as a family."
One of his most recent posts aimed at his son came in August, when Payne posted a video on Snapchat while celebrating his birthday.
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Payne had a smile on his face as he spoke about his son and revealed that he hadn't yet received any 'dad socks' from his little boy.
He continued: "I’m going to speak to my son in a little bit which I’m really excited about. Bless him. He’s getting so big now.
"He’s a big boy and he looks like a mini-me. As if we needed any more me in the world."
Despite both of his parents being celebrities, Bear is largely kept out of the spotlight and rarely appears in his parents' social media posts.
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Earlier this year, Payne shared a rare snap of Bear as he looked at a billboard which featured his dad.
Alongside the image, Payne appeared to quote his son as he wrote: "I want to be on a billboard one day daddy."
Fans of the singer have shared their heartfelt condolences to his family in the wake of his death, with one writing: "Baby Bear your father will watch over you from heaven. I can't believe it!!"
Another wrote in part: "When I heard the news I thought about Liam's son! He is so young and has already lost his father."
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After authorities arrived on the scene, Payne's body was moved from the hotel in Argentina to a morgue.
Emily Brown