Former One Direction star Liam Payne left behind a £24 million fortune after his untimely death — and did so without a will, according to newly released court documents.
The 31-year-old singer, who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina on October 16 last year following a drink and drug binge, had an estate initially valued at £28.6 million. After debts and expenses were settled, the remaining £24.28 million is now set to be inherited under UK intestacy laws.
Payne’s ex-partner Cheryl Tweedy, with whom he shares an eight-year-old son, Bear, has been granted legal authority to administer the estate. Under UK law, when someone dies without a will, their estate typically passes to their next of kin—in this case, his son. The funds will be placed in a trust for Bear until he reaches adulthood.
This means Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, with whom he had reportedly planned to marry, is unlikely to receive anything from the estate.
Cheryl, 41, is named alongside prominent entertainment lawyer Richard Bray, known for representing artists like Ed Sheeran, as co-administrator of the estate.
The singer’s shocking death came just six months ago, leaving fans devastated. He died from what was medically determined to be “polytrauma,” indicating multiple traumatic injuries sustained during the fall from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires.
Five individuals, including the hotel manager, a receptionist, and a friend of Payne’s, have since been charged with manslaughter in connection to the incident, according to Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office.
Payne rose to fame as one-fifth of One Direction, the global phenomenon formed on The X Factor under the guidance of Simon Cowell, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan.
