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The administrators of Liam Payne's estate have been identified. According to court documents obtained by People, Payne passed away without a will, so Cheryl, the mother of the late One Direction member's 8-year-old son, Bear, will manage his estate alongside music industry attorney Richard Mark Bray.
According to the filing, Payne's estate in the United Kingdom was worth about $32.2 million after debts and expenses.
However, according to court documents seen by the BBC, Cheryl and Bray have only been given limited authority to manage the funds until a general grant is made. According to the outlet, neither the lawyer nor the Girls Aloud member will be able to disburse any estate funds in the interim.
After falling from a third-story hotel balcony in Argentina, Payne passed away in October at the age of thirty-one.
Multiple traumatic injuries with internal and external hemorrhaging were identified as the cause of his death. Authorities began looking into Payne's death after a toxicology report revealed that he had drugs in his system when he fell.
The influencer Kate Cassidy, whom the "Strip That Down" singer was dating at the time of his death, left South America just days before he fell and died.
"Liam was in such a good headspace when I left Argentina," the 26-year-old said in a February interview with The Sun. "He was so joyful and upbeat; we were in such a wonderful place, just full of love. And I simply cannot comprehend how things actually are.
Cheryl, 41, has also discussed Payne's death. Her October Instagram statement called on people to "give Liam the little dignity he has left."
Cheryl, who dated Payne from 2016 to 2018, said, "As I try to navigate this earth shattering event and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time," she said, "I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being."
highlighting the "abhorrent reports and media exploitation" from tabloids, she stated, "Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them."
