Louis Tomlinson drew on his experience as a father to his son Freddie as he promised to be an "uncle" to his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's son Bear.
The 'Just Hold On' singer shared a heartfelt tribute to Liam on Instagram after he died on Wednesday 16 October aged 31 after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina.
"I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.
© Liam Payne"I wish I got [a] chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you. Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X," he wrote.
Louis' son Freddie
Louis Tomlinson was the first member of One Direction to become a father after his ex Briana Jungwirth gave birth to their son Freddie Reign Tomlinson in January 2016.
The pair met through a mutual friend and they were first photographed together in May 2015 at an album release party for Snoop Dogg. Two months later, it was announced that Calabasas stylist Briana was pregnant.
© InstagramLouis confirmed the happy news that he had become a father by writing on X, formerly Twitter: "I'm pleased to say my baby son was born yesterday. He is healthy and pretty amazing. I'm very happy!!"
The following day, he shared his first photo of the newborn, which he had previously admitted to Good Morning America that he was "buzzing" about welcoming.
Louis has kept photos and details about his son fairly private, but ahead of Freddie's first birthday, he made a sweet comment about fatherhood.
When asked about his favourite part of being a parent on AMP Radio, he replied: "All of it. Any time he can do something new – I know he’s not a dog [laughs], but… for example, he just started taking his first few steps, which is like nothing else, but before that he was a little bit vocal. It’s constantly changing, but the whole thing is super cool."
Rare photos of the eight-year-old show that the more he grows, the more he bears a striking resemblance to his famous father with a mop of blonde hair and the same cheeky smile.
While Louis has a home in LA, he admitted that he doesn't get to spend as much time with Freddie as he'd like since he lives with his mother.
"I try and spend as much time in England as I do LA and vice versa… to be there to see and go out with Freddie and all of that. Then I have my family in the UK, who I make sure I see plenty of. It’s a bit of a juggle at times but it’s all part of life," he confessed in an interview with Metro in 2019.
This also means that Freddie has developed an American accent, with Louis joking it was "tough" to try and pass down his English twang to his son.
Liam's son Bear
© InstagramLiam and his ex Cheryl welcomed their son Bear in 2017, one year after Louis became a father.
Confirming the happy news on Instagram, the 'Fight for this Love' singer shared a picture of doting dad Liam cradling his newborn and wrote: "On Wednesday 22nd March Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream."
Meanwhile, Liam shared a heartfelt post to mark the milestone that read: "My close friends and family know there are very few times when I’m left speechless… wow! I’m incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world.
"It’s a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far. I’m completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she’s really made my dreams come true."
After the couple split in July 2018, Liam took the opportunity to praise Cheryl's parenting skills. "She is the best mum in the world. I couldn't ask for someone better," he said on Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast.
© Gilbert Carrasquillo"We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he's [Bear's] taken care of."
The One Direction bandmates admitted they relied on each other for parenting advice. Liam told Access: "Me and Louis speak about it quite a lot. He phones me up every so often.
"It’s great hearing from another dad who is also outside of the situation and has to go visit and go in and out [due to work]. It’s interesting hearing the dynamic of his situation. His son’s a tiny bit older than mine, so I get a lot of lessons and different things from him," he said in 2020.
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