Liam Payne son Bear set to inherit estate as court confirms singer died without will

Liam Payne’s son Bear is expected to inherit the late singer’s estate after court documents confirmed the former One Direction member died without leaving a valid will.

Payne died in October 2024 at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Court filings later confirmed that his estate will be handled under intestacy rules in England and Wales due to the absence of a will.

The Guardian reported that Payne’s estate had a gross value of £28,594,888 and a net value of £24,279,728 after debts and expenses. People reported approximate U.S. values of around $38 million gross and $32.2 million net.

Court documents named his former partner Cheryl, who is Bear’s mother, alongside music lawyer Richard Mark Bray as administrators of the estate. Their role is to manage the estate through the legal process rather than to personally inherit assets.

Bear is Payne’s only child, and under intestacy rules in England and Wales, children are prioritised in inheritance when a person dies unmarried and without a will. GOV.UK guidance states that unmarried partners do not automatically inherit under these circumstances.

As a result, Bear is expected to inherit the estate, while Cheryl, Payne’s partner at the time of his death Kate Cassidy, and wider family members are not automatically entitled under the same rules.

The Guardian reported that Cheryl may establish a trust for Bear in accordance with inheritance procedures for minors, as children cannot directly access large estates until they reach adulthood. The estate must therefore be managed and preserved under court supervision.

People reported that Cheryl and Richard Mark Bray were formally appointed administrators on May 1, with limited authority at that stage as the estate proceeds through probate.