The Showbiz website TMZ caused disgust after it posted images of Liam Payne’s dead body. The American media published photos demonstrating that the British pop singer’s tattoos, including the forearm one and the waist one, were true, as well as all the fatal reports about his death after he had slipped through the balcony of a hotel in Argentine.
One of the images featured a mobile tent the police had erected over Payne’s body at Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires. In the published article, TMZ reported, “The picture obtained by the outlet shows Liam’s body lying on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and chairs around it. We are not depicting his full figure but his tattoo is spotted in the image: a clock on his left forearm and a scorpion on his abdomen.
The publication received a harsh response from fans and celebrities as they criticized the decision to share the photos as disgraceful. Following the massive outcry, TMZ swiftly removed the photos and updated the article to state: Another source that has been identified by TMZ is a picture of Liam’s body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs present. The identity of the person was confirmed by first reports from the scene, and I was also able to note that he had a tattoo of a clock and a scorpion on his left forearm and abdomen, respectively.
Another vocal critic of TMZ is X Factor’s Rylan Clark who openly criticized the website through X (formerly Twitter), stating, “And TMZ f shame on you”. Disgrace.” Another person who was a victim of unproved stories by TMZ is the pop singer Alessia Cara who referred to TMZ as gross.
As usual other tragic circumstances shocked the public and the world: Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel, located in Palermo neighborhood, which is the trendy area of Buenos Aires. Police were called in by a hotel employee who complained of an aggressive male guest, who seemed to be on drugs or alcohol. Soon thereafter, hotel employees could also hear a noise coming from the courtyard, where the Wolverhampton-born singer’s body was found at 5 PM local time.
The other guests, journalists, and those who watched him before going to the hotel reported through local media sources that Payne was acting creepy in the hotel lobby where he destroyed his laptop before being restrained and taken back to his room. He was adored by fans across the global after joining One Direction – boy band he formed at The X Factor in 2010 as a 16 –year-old alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles.
People congregated near and around, the hotel after the police have penned them in. Fans later gathered outside the facility and placed candles and flowers at the spot in what has become a somber ad hoc memorial for the star. The forensic investigators were observed in the scene although wearing protective gear during the identification process.
From a security ministry audio recorded in Buenos Aires, a hotel employee had called for help: “When he wakes up, he is destroying everything in the room and wanted to send someone.
As per the report of Director of Emergency Medical Services Alberto Crescenti, Liam Payne seemed to have sustained serious injuries most of which were as a result of the fall he made. “And about his identity, we were able to confirm it with the passport he had,’ Crescenti said. After the shooting, Payne’s body was taken to the morgue in order to perform an autopsy.
The singer had come to Argentina earlier this month for his friend Niall Horan’s concert with his band. The last snap he was seen posting on Snapchat was taken three months ago of him and Kate Cassidy smiling in front of a mirror. Before his death, Payne was posting pictures of what he did during the day, eating alone in his hotel, and that he would go as Forrest Gump for Halloween.
Liam Payne who found fame with One Direction could be described as one of the biggest pop groups of the 2010s. After the appearances of five albums and the beginning of four world tours, the band went on hiatus in 2016.
The world continues to mourn the loss of this iconic music star.
