Cheryl shares statement following death of Liam Payne at 31

Cheryl Tweedy has paid tribute to her former partner Liam Payne following his tragic death aged 31.

The former One Direction singer passed away on October 16 after falling from a balcony on the third-floor of CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Authorities were called to the hotel at around 5.00pm and the hotel manager told them that a man had fallen from a third-floor balcony.

Head of the state emergency medical system Alberto Crescenti reported a team arrived and confirmed the man had passed away, sustaining 'injuries that were incompatible with life as a result of his fall' adding they later 'found out that he was a singer in a musical group'.

Payne rose to fame after appearing on British talent show The X Factor, first appearing on the contest in 2008 in front of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Tweedy - formerly known as Cheryl Cole.

Payne made it all the way to the judge's houses before being eliminated, however, he returned in 2010 and ended up being placed in a boy band alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan.

After One Direction left the show, Payne and Tweedy - best known for being a member of Girls Aloud - reportedly began dating in 2016 and the following year, the pair welcomed son, Bear.

And Cheryl has since addressed the father of her child's passing.

Posting on Instagram, she shared an image of Liam and their son, Bear, alongside a broken heart emoji.

She wrote: "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.

"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."

In the wake of Payne's passing, fans local to the hotel rushed to stand outside and pay tribute, lighting candles and singing songs.

Others took to Payne's social media to find comfort, some highlighting a post to Snapchat the singer uploaded in August gushing about his son.

Celebrating his birthday at the time, Payne joked he hadn't received any 'dad socks' from Bear yet.

He added: "I’m going to speak to my son in a little bit which I’m really excited about. Bless him. He’s getting so big now.

"He’s a big boy and he looks like a mini-me. As if we needed any more me in the world."

UNILAD previously contacted representatives for Payne for comment.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.