The One Direction alum welcomed his first and only child with singer Cheryl in 2017

Liam Payne‘s son Bear, 9, has been named the sole beneficiary of the late singer’s $29,007,998 estate, according to documents obtained by People.

Payne, who died in October 2024 without making a will, shared Bear with his former partner and singer Cheryl, who was named the administrator of Payne’s estate along with music industry lawyer Richard Bray in May 2025. At the time, U.K. records obtained by Rolling Stone stated that the gross value of Payne’s estate was £28,594,888 (about $38 million), while the net value — after debts and expenses are covered — amounted to £24,279,728 (or about $32 million). 

The United Kingdom government website states that if a person dies without leaving a will, the closest living relative — normally the husband, wife or civil partner — followed by any children 18 or over can apply to become the administrator of the estate. While some of the money can be used now, the majority of the estate will be secured in a trust until Payne’s son turns 18 years old, per People.

In 2016, when he was 23, Payne began dating Cheryl, who was 33 at the time. Their son, Bear, was born in March 2017. In a social media post announcing news of their son’s birth, Payne shared a photo of himself holding Bear and wrote, “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 favourite memory I have so far.” He added, “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.”

Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024 at the age of 31 after falling from the balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires. His death sent shockwaves across the music industry and his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan remembered him in a tribute.