The inheritance of the late One Direction singer, Liam Payne, already has a clear destiny. His 9-year-old son, Bear, the result of his relationship with singer Cheryl Cole, was named the sole beneficiary of his estate, which amounts to almost $28 million, according to court documents obtained by the TMZ portal.

The child will be able to access some of the money immediately; However, most of the fortune will remain protected in a trust until he reaches the age of majority, that is, 18 years of age. This measure seeks to ensure the child's long-term financial stability.

Since Payne did not have a will at the time of his death, the court appointed Cole and music lawyer Richard Bray as administrators of the estate. However, its authority is limited only to the collection and preservation of the artist's assets, without being able to dispose of them freely.

The circumstances of his death

Liam Payne died in October 2024, at the age of 31, after a fall from the balcony of his room on the third floor of the Hotel Casa Sur Palermo, located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The impact caused multiple traumas, including a skull fracture that led to internal and external bleeding.

Toxicology reports revealed that, at the time of the accident, the singer had a blood alcohol level four times higher than the legal limit, in addition to the presence of several drugs in his system, such as cocaine, crack and benzodiazepines.

In February 2025, the Argentine justice system dropped charges of involuntary manslaughter against three of the five people initially accused of the artist's death. Among them was his friend Rogelio “Roger” Nores and two employees of the CasaSur Palermo hotel.

However, Ezequiel Pereyra and Braian Paiz, the two accused of selling cocaine to Payne, are still awaiting trial, thus keeping the investigation open into the circumstances surrounding the tragic outcome of the former One Direction member.