Liam Payne’s former partner, Cheryl, has been officially named the administrator of his $32.2 million estate, nearly seven months after the One Direction star passed away without a will.
Court documents obtained by PEOPLE on May 1 revealed that Cheryl, 41, along with attorney Richard Mark Bray, will now oversee the management of Liam’s estate. The documents show that the total value of Liam’s estate in the UK is $38 million, with a net value of around $32.2 million.
In the UK, when someone dies without a will, the estate typically goes to their lawful spouse, or if they’re not married, to their closest family member. Since Liam and Cheryl were not married at the time of his death, Cheryl, who shares their 8-year-old son Bear with him, has been given the responsibility to manage the funds.
However, the BBC reports that Cheryl and Bray currently have limited authority and cannot yet distribute the estate.
Liam tragically passed away after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina in October. He and Cheryl had been in a relationship from 2016 to 2018, and they welcomed their son in 2017.
Cheryl issued a heartfelt statement following Liam’s death, describing it as an “earth-shattering event.” She asked fans to remember that Liam was more than just a pop star — he was also a son, brother, uncle, and a father to their young son Bear.
“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. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again,” she said in part.
Liam had been dating influencer Kate Cassidy at the time of his death. In a March interview on the UK morning show Lorraine, Kate opened up about how difficult it was for her to accept Liam’s passing. “I’m still working on accepting the fact that he’s not here anymore, so it’s hard for me to refer to him in the past tense,” she shared.
Liam’s sister, Ruth Gibbins, also paid tribute to him in April, marking six months since his death. On Instagram, Ruth shared an emotional post saying, “I can sometimes hear you laughing at me walking around like Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, looking for you everywhere I go.
I see you, though, you’re always coming through in different ways to put me back on the right path. I can’t process what’s happened and the finality of it, you know I will never stop doing all I can for you. I miss you loudly, quietly and in all the moments in between.”
Despite the sadness surrounding his passing, Liam’s family continues to honor his memory and manage the estate left behind in his absence.
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