Cheryl Cole breaks silence over Liam Payne death as she reminds fans 'son will never see his father again'
Liam Payne's ex and the mother of his child Cheryl Cole has broken her silence following his tragic death on Wednesday.
She gave a stern warning to fans as she reminded them their son "will never see his father again".
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina.
Taking to Instagram, the former Girls Aloud star, 41, penned on Friday: "I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being.
"Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven year old son."
She shared a touching snap of Payne snuggled in bed with Bear, now seven, when he was a baby.
The full heartbreaking statement reads: "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."
Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son.
"A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.
"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.
"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.
"Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last. Thank you, Cheryl."
It comes as speculation about Payne's death and recent life events have been circulating online.
While not many official details have been revealed, police in Buenos Aires say that responders first arrived at the hotel on Wednesday in response to reports "of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol".
Alberto Crescenti, the city's ambulance service provider spokesman, told the media: "The alarm was raised at 5"04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.
"At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life.
“Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
"Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal.
"There was no possibility of resuscitating him."
Since Wednesday, many heartbreaking tributes have been shared, including by each of Payne's former One Direction bandmates.
Amid the floods of social media messages the last couple of days have seen, Simon Cowell has been met with criticism as some former X Factor stars included in their tributes how the music industry "exploits" young stars.
Kaite Waissel even issued a warning to the father-of-one, writing on X: "My heart is completely torn to shreds right now, I am at an absolute loss for words.
"If Simon Cowell dare put a statement out on the heart wrenching, tragic loss of my dear and darling friend Liam, he would be a fool."
Cowell initially called off the current Britain's Got Talent auditions in light of the tragic news, and on Thursday it was announced he'd be stepping down from the gig altogether.
Taking to Instagram on Friday, the 65-year-old wrote a lengthy statement.