Liam Payne Welcomed Addition to His Family 8 Months Ago

Heavy/Getty Liam Payne.

Former One Direction member Liam Payne died at the age of 31 on October 16 during his stay in Argentina, as reported by TMZ. Months before Payne’s death, he welcomed a new member to his family — a dog named Stanley.

Payne uploaded several pictures of the puppy in a February 14 Instagram post The first image showed Payne smiling brightly while sitting next to the dog on a beige couch. In the following image, the dog stood on Payne’s leg. The singer continued smiling as he petted Stanley. The final shot consisted of Payne holding his canine companion.

In the caption of the post, Payne introduced his dog to his Instagram followers.

“Welcome to the family, Stanley! Our hearts are bigger with you in it 🐾🤍,” read Payne’s caption.

Several fans flocked to the post’s comments section to compliment Payne’s dog.

“Omg so adorable,” wrote a commenter.

“What a cutie @liampayne ! Congrats on the new family member! 🎉🐾,” added another.

“Omg Stanley is Gorgeous, such wonderful dogs 😍❤️😍❤️😍,” shared a different person.

“That is so cute! We love you Liam❤️,” commented a fourth social media user.

Liam Payne Shared a Video of His Dog in March 2024

Payne shared a video of himself running with Stanley in a March 2024 Instagram post. The video started with Payne and his dog running on a paved road. Payne later played fetch with a dog on a grassy area. The dog then hopped on Payne, trying to lick him, causing the singer to smile.

Payne paired the video with his 2024 song, “Teardrops.”

“Off on my afternoon run, of course Stan attempts to keep up 😂,” wrote Payne in the caption of the March 7 Instagram post.

A few social media users shared kind words to Payne in the comments section.

“I’m so happy to see you happy and healthy🥰 Also Stanley is as good as you in running🐾,” wrote one commenter.

“You’re both so adorable and sweet. I love your smile!❤️🥰🐶🤗,” shared a different person.

Liam Payne Was a Father to a Son

Payne was a father to a 7-year-old son named Bear, whose mother is singer Cheryl Cole, 41, as reported by TODAY. The publication reported that Payne and Cole were together for two years before ending their relationship in 2018. Following their split, Payne released a statement to fans on social media.

“It’s been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together,” wrote Payne in a 2018 Twitter upload, as reported by TODAY.

Payne discussed parenthood in a July 2022 interview on Jake Paul’s podcast, “IMPAULSIVE.” 

During the podcast interview, Payne said he enjoyed taking his son to school about once or twice a week. He also said he lived less than five minutes away from Cole and their son.

“I always glue myself to where he is. I don’t want to miss a thing of that. I owe it to him. My life now is his. My money’s his,” said Payne.

In addition, the former member of One Direction — which also included Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan — complimented Cole’s abilities as a mother to Bear.

“She’s the best mom in the world. I couldn’t ask for someone better,” said Payne on the podcast episode. “The relationship we have with each other now as friends has only grown more — you know, we broke up for a reason. Now, she gives me full autonomy of my own life to be able to do what I do. At the same time, I know that he’s being taken care of because he’s all she cares about. And you couldn’t ask for more.”