Liam Payne’s former spouse, Cheryl, has stated that her seven-year-old son Bear must “face the reality of never seeing his father again.”.
Payne, 31, died Wednesday after falling from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Girls Aloud singer, who was in a relationship with Payne from 2016 to 2018, also slammed the “abhorrent” media coverage surrounding his death.
In a statement 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.”
Cheryl also stated that 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.”
Cheryl’s social media statement comes after Simon Cowell earlier paid his own tribute, saying he is “heartbroken” and feels “empty” following the singer’s death.
Cowell, who put the group together on the X Factor in 2010, remembered Payne as “kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful [and] talented.”.
“Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote.
