Liam Payne’s son Bear could be blocked by his mother, Cheryl Tweedy, from inheriting his father’s multi-million pound fortune until he is at least 25, a source has claimed.
Yesterday, it was revealed the 31-year-old One Direction singer, who fell to his death from a hotel balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16 last year, had died without a will.
In total, the popstar left £28,595,000, though this was reduced to £24,280,000 after his expenses and debts were paid.
When someone dies without leaving a will, they are declared intestate – and if they are unmarried but were a parent, as Liam was, the estate is shared between any children.
Court documents also revealed Payne had granted power of administration of his estate to his ex-partner Cheryl, who is the mother of his eight-year-old son Bear.
And now those closest to Cheryl revealed the 41-year-old has consulted with the trustees of Liam’s estate and wants to place the money aside until little Bear is old enough to make ‘informed’ financial decisions.
A source close to the Promise This singer divulged she wanted to ‘protect Bear’ with her reported decision to stop him receiving the huge sum until he is 25 years of age – or even older.
‘She feels she wants Bear to be of an age where he can make informed decisions about the money,’ the source told The Sun.
It is likely that the fortune will be placed in trust for Liam’s son under UK rules of intestacy
Court documents also revealed Payne had granted power of administration of his estate to his ex-partner Cheryl, who is the mother of his eight-year-old son Bear
‘She wants him to still have ambition and the drive to succeed without the back-up of the money — and she’s aware that people may want to befriend him because they are aware of his situation.’
They claimed the Girls Aloud singer has since sought advice from trustees and has decided the fortune will be invested until her son, who is now only eight-years-old, is of a ‘right age’ to start receiving it.
It comes after those close to the former XFactor judge explained how Liam’s £24million legacy could whittle down to £12million due to inheritance tax.
Describing it as ‘still an incredible amount of money’, they added: ‘Cheryl wants to do everything she can to protect Bear and make sure the money comes to him when the time is right.’
Richard Bray, a top music lawyer with a track record of representing stars including Ed Sheeran, was also named as administrator of Payne’s estate.
MailOnline has approached Cheryl’s representatives for comment.
It comes after it emerged the 31-year-old had made sure his son would ‘never want for anything’ in the event of his death.
Last year, the Daily Mail’s Katie Hind revealed the One Direction singer had made careful arrangements for his son’s financial future – having cannily invested in property, including a mansion in Buckinghamshire.
Liam Payne had put his £3.2million five-bedroom Buckinghamshire mansion up for sale in the month before he died
The One Direction star previously owned this US property between coastal Malibu and affluent Los Angeles suburb Calabasas
Among his other homes was this £6.5million mansion in Woking in Surrey
Friends have told how that some years ago Liam made plans for his money to go to his only child in the event of his death.
This was despite the fact that there would often be thousands of miles between them, as the singer spent a lot of time in the US and most of their interactions were via video calls on FaceTime.
A source close to the late singer told the Mail: ‘Liam had some very sensible people around him for a time and he adored Bear so much. He always wanted to do the right thing by him financially.
‘It is a small consolation that Bear will never want for anything, that he will at least benefit from that.’
Payne reportedly previously paid £357,000 in 2015 for a new home in the West Midlands for his parents Geoff and Karen, while also investing in his own properties.
Meanwhile, the star’s family and friends raised a huge amount of money for a children’s cancer charity following his death.
It was revealed that more than £31,000 was generated for Great Ormond Street Hospital after people attended his funeral, with fans donating a further £1,808 through online donations in his name.
The money will go towards building a new children’s cancer unit at the hospital in London.
And now those closest to Cheryl revealed the 41-year-old has consulted with the trustees of Liam’s estate and wants to place the money aside until little Bear is old enough to make ‘informed’ financial decisions
Payne’s funeral in November in Buckinghamshire was attended by Cheryl (pictured) and fellow One Direction stars Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, along with his family and friends
The grieving mother previously took to Instagram to told of her anguish as she tries ‘navigate this earth shattering event’
Cheryl and Liam Payne 38th Brit Awards, Arrivals, The O2 Arena, London, UK – 21 Feb 2018
Meanwhile, the latest documents have indicated Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy could receive nothing – despite her revealing their plans to marry shortly after his death.
A source close to Ms Cassidy said she understand the situation, telling MailOnline: ‘It was never about the money for Kate.
‘She loved Liam through thick and thin and she wouldn’t have it any other way than Bear being the main beneficiary from his father’s will.’
But Ms Cassidy could be entitled to a share of his multi-million pound fortune if she chose to lodge a claim in the courts, legal experts say, due to their future plans and living arrangements.
The social media star could look to seek ‘reasonable financial provision’ under the UK’s Inheritance Act if she claims to have been financially dependent on him.
The New Jersey-born model, 26, was reported to have received a £20,000-per-month allowance from Liam while they were living together in Florida.
And the pair had been considering marriage – with a hat-trick of ‘evidence’ backing that up that could reinforce any claim on Liam’s estate, despite the fact they were not engaged.
In theory, Kate could seek to challenge this state of affairs under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
Ms Cassidy could be entitled to a share of his multi-million pound fortune if she chose to lodge a claim in the courts, legal experts say
Kate Cassidy attends the funeral for singer Liam Payne, former member of One Direction on November 20, 2024 in Amersham, United Kingdom
The law makes provisions for individuals to make an application for financial provision if they were being ‘immediately…maintained, either wholly or partly’ by someone who has died.
But she would need to do so within six months of a Grant of Letters of Administration being issued – a formal confirmation of who will administrate, or control, the estate in the long run.
The news the former boyband member died without leaving a will, comes six months after fans worldwide were left devastated by his sudden death in Argentina.
His medical cause of death has been confirmed to be ‘polytrauma’, a term which means a person has multiple traumatic injuries to their body.
In the aftermath Liam’s friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, hotel operator Gilda Martin and receptionist Esteban Grassi faced manslaughter charges, although these were later dropped.
Hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz have been charged with supplying cocaine to the singer.
Payne skyrocketed to superstardom alongside his former One Direction bandmates, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
The five were brought together by Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger who saw their potential as a group on XFactor.
But the 1D hysteria soon dwarfed the show, but despite the adoration, the band ultimately finished in third place.
The band later signed to SImon Cowell’s Syco for a reported £2million Syco. They later split in 2016 following Zayn’s departure.
The news comes just six months after fans of the Best Song Ever singer were left stunned by his sudden death from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina (pictured)
The absence of a will suggests that Kate Cassidy, Liam’s girlfriend at the time of his death, could be left with nothing from his fortune
Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy had lived together in a Spanish-style mansion in Florida, with the singer showing off his new pad in a video just a month before his death
Payne launched a successful solo career, releasing his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo, and the track For You with Rita Ora.
The popstar and British pop sensation Cheryl Cole announced they were expecting their first child Bear Grey together and later welcomed him into the world on March 22, 2017. The parents later split in 2018.
Following his tragic death, Cheryl took to Instagram to reveal her anguish as she tried to ‘navigate this earth shattering event’.
Her statement read: ‘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 seven year old son.
‘A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.’
Payne skyrocketed to superstardom alongside his former One Direction bandmates, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
The five were brought together by Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger who saw their potential as a group on XFactor
After Malik announced his departure from the band in 2015, the band went their separate ways
Over the course of his music career, the popstar collaborated with the likes of J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie
Liam Payne is seen on March 01, 2024 in Paris, France
Girlfriend Kate Cassidy revealed shortly after his death that the pair had planned to marry
Despite struggling with drug and alcohol issues after leaving One Direction, Payne was careful to invest in property.
Liam’s £3.2million home in Buckinghamshire, which he bought to be closer to Bear, went up for sale a month before his sudden death.
He had bought the five-bedroom mansion in Chalfont St Giles in November 2021.
He had moved into a $9,500-a-month mansion in Florida alongside Kate Cassidy just weeks before he died.
It sits on six acres of land and has a swimming pool, a stable and an annex, had been listed for £3.25 million.
The property appeared to have disappeared from the site before a sale went through.
