Liam Payne was widely known for his musical success as part of British boy band One Direction.

However, when One Direction disbanded in 2015, each of the members went on to carve their own legacies. For Payne, one of those was his son Bear, who he welcomed alongside then partner Cheryl Cole in March 2017.

While many are aware that Payne's final years leading up to his death weren't the smoothest, in the wake of his tragic passing, fans are mourning for the seven-year-old son he leaves behind.

Just a few months before his passing, Payne made a heart-breaking final comment about his beloved son Bear.

Celebrating his 31st birthday in August 2024, Payne shared a video on Instagram sharing that he was yet to get his 'dad socks' from Bear.

"I didn't get any dad socks yet though. I'm going to speak to my son in a little bit which I'm really excited about," he said.

@joysparkleshine Liam Payne Says His Son is His Mini Me Right Before Passing💔🥺 RIP Bear Payne #liam #liampayne #rip #onedirection #onedirectionvideos #onedirectionreunion #liampayneedit #1d #bearpayne ♬ original sound - Joy

"Bless him. He's getting so big now. He's a big boy and he looks like a mini me," he added.

Although, fans couldn't help but hear the heart-breaking note in his voice as he said, "As if we needed any more me in the world."

As One Direction fans process Payne's passing, they are also looking back at all the sweet moments his son Bear imbued in his life, including the pair's innate shared love of music. Here, we look back at what Payne said about becoming a dad.

Bear Payne was born in March 2017.

Image: Instagram.

At the time of Bear's birth in 2017, Payne was absolutely overjoyed to share the news of his young son.

"I'm incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world, it's a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favorite memory I have so far," he wrote on social media.

He also took the time to thank his partner, Cole, whom he dated between 2015 and 2018.

"I'm completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she's really made my dreams come true."

Cole also posted to social media writing, "Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy.

"We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival."

While the pair would separate a year following the birth of their child, Payne continued to speak positively about his life as a dad.

Listen to The Spill episode on Liam Payne's Life, Death And Complicated Legacy. Story continues below. 

Payne always wanted to be a 'young dad'.

In a 2018 interview with PEOPLE, Payne asserted that he had always wanted to create a family of his own, even when he was young.

"I always wanted to be a young dad, but I didn't really expect that I'd ever be in this place," he said.

"I had my son at a young age, and you think it will be a magical thing, that you're going to grow up one day into the person you're supposed to be," he explained.

However, he did admit, "It took a lot to find my footing. I figured, Dad takes care of everyone, that's what he does, so my thing was to cook."

Payne proudly commented that Bear was already growing up "so quickly".

"He was already huge when he was born. I walked past a baby in the park and was like, 'Mine was never that small!' He was always massive," Payne said.

"I look at him, like, 'Where's my little baby gone already?'"

On living life as a blended family.

Payne and Cole in 2018. Image: Getty.

Given Bear was so young when his parents split up, Liam was conscious to make sure he was still an active part of Bear's life.

"I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes," he said in a PEOPLE interview in 2022. "And I make sure when I see him, he has 100 percent of my time. I make sure that I'm not on my phone or dicking around somewhere else.

"So, I like to give him those moments and it's important, he needs that in his life, he needs his dad in his life, and I'm happy he looks at me like a superhero, and I'm hoping to keep it that way," Payne said.

He also spoke about throwing Bear his 5th birthday party, where he had the "best time".

Payne said, "I met all the school friends and stuff, which was really, really sweet. Yeah, 30 5-year-olds in a room was a lot to deal with, but we managed them. They had the best time. So that's all that matters."

Bear entering the music industry.

Liam had been open about Bear's passion for music as he's gotten older.

"He'd set his iPad out on the floor, and you could see the little red line going and she was like, 'What are you doing?' and he was like, 'I'm recording a song, can you not see?'" Payne told Heart radio.

He continued, "I mean, it scares me a little bit because I know what that can do to you."

However, he later told the Diary Of A CEO podcast, "I think his mum is hoping he's gonna become some yoga person. His mum is very chill these days.

"I would never stop him [entering the music industry] but I would let him know the risks. My parents did not experience what I had. I want him to do something he enjoys doing every day.

"He's got the best advice from the parents around him for the long run, but I don't know. Obviously, we protected his identity to start off with."

In early March 2024, Payne shared a snapshot of the back of Bear's head as he looked at a billboard of his father (both he and Cheryl have not shared his face online). The star captioned the shot, "I want to be on a billboard one day daddy."

Image: Instagram.

Featured image: Instagram/Getty.