New court documents say Liam Payne died without a will, and the former One Direction singer’s estate is now being left entirely to his 8-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne. Payne died in October 2024 at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, and the latest filings also show that his assets were reduced by debts and expenses.
His estate was originally estimated at about $31 million, but a reassessment placed the net value at roughly $27 million. The papers also indicate that Cheryl Cole, Bear’s mother and Payne’s former partner, was given authority to manage the estate together with music lawyer Richard Bray.
Under Britain’s inheritance rules, without a valid will, only spouses, civil partners, or certain close relatives can inherit. Because Payne and Kate Cassidy, his partner of the last two years, were not married, she is not entitled to any share of the money. That leaves Bear as the sole beneficiary of the fortune.
Sources close to Cole said, “Cheryl always does what is right for her beloved son.” They added that Payne was surrounded at times by sensible people and “adored Bear,” always wanting to look after him financially. Payne fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, and an autopsy found traces of alcohol, cocaine, and antidepressants in his body.
