Cheryl Cole, Liam Payne’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of their 7-year-old son, described her grief over the late singer’s death as “indescribably painful.” Payne, a singer and former member of One Direction, died Oct. 16 after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

Cheryl Cole has shared a message asking for respect for her late ex Liam Payne in the wake of his death. The Girls Aloud singer, 41, who shared a 7-year-old son, Bear, with Payne, detailed the devastating impact of Payne's loss in her message shared Friday.