Cheryl Cole, mom of Liam Payne's son Bear, slams 'media exploitation' after singer's death

The mother of Liam Payne's son is slamming "abhorrent reports and media exploitation" following the 31-year-old One Direction alum's death this week.

In an Instagram post Friday, British singer Cheryl Cole, who shares 7-year-old son Bear with Payne, mourned his loss in a lengthy post.

"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," she wrote. "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 7 year old son."

TMZ, that graphic Liam Payne photo and the damage it caused

Payne, one-fifth of the successful British boy band, died Wednesday after falling from a balcony at a hotel he was staying at in Buenos Aires, local Argentine police have said.

"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," Cole's statement continued.

"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."

On Wednesday, fans who clicked on an alert, a tweet or even a link shared via text, were shocked to see a cropped image of Payne's lifeless body that was included alongside TMZ's reporting on the singer's death. The site later took the image down.

TMZ has drawn similar criticism before for their handling of situations involving celebrities. In 2020, the entertainment outlet was scolded by police at the scene of Kobe Bryant's death and also courted controversy three years earlier for their questionable handling surrounding the news of Tom Petty's death in 2017.

Cole and Payne first met on the British version of "The X-Factor" during his solo audition in 2008 and seemingly reunited in 2015, as One Direction left for an indefinite hiatus. They were in a relationship from 2016 until 2018, and their son was born in March 2017.

Payne is survived by his 7-year-old child, Bear, whom he shared with British singer Cheryl Cole; his parents, Karen and Geoff Payne; and his sisters, Ruth and Nicola.

Payne earned global fame as part of One Direction, which was formed on "The X-Factor" U.K. when Payne was grouped with fellow teen solo artists Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

The band took an indefinite hiatus in 2016 following the release of their fifth album, "Made in the A.M." All members, including Malik, who left the group in March 2015, went on to pursue solo careers.

Payne released several hit singles following the hiatus and dropped his solo album "LP1" in December 2019. His 2017 track with Quavo, "Strip That Down," entered the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. His other hits included the Rita Ora duet "For You," which appeared on the "Fifty Shades Freed" soundtrack, and the Zedd collaboration "Get Low."

His latest release, a single titled "Teardrops," revealed lyrics about feeling "broken" amid a heartbreak.

Contributing: Laura Trujillo and KiMi Robinson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cheryl Cole, mom of Liam Payne's son, slams media in wake of his death