Liam Payne’s former companion Cheryl Tweedy has described media protection of his loss of life “abhorrent”.
It got here because the singer’s father, Geoff Payne, travelled to Buenos Aires in Argentina to organise the repatriation of his 31-year-old son’s physique. He was seen exiting the CasaSur Palermo lodge, the place the singer died after falling from a third-floor balcony on Wednesday.
In a video shared on the BBC, Payne was seen visiting tributes left by followers exterior the lodge, studying letters and pausing round flowers, pictures and candles.
It got here after Tweedy, the previous Women Aloud singer, voiced issues over defending their seven-year-old son, Bear, and criticised the “media exploitation” for the reason that star’s loss of life.
In an Instagram put up, she mentioned: “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.
“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. 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.”
The put up was made alongside a black and white picture of Payne, with whom she had a relationship between 2016 and 2018, and their son.
Cheryl added: “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.”
Her assertion got here after Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, mentioned she was at a “complete loss” following his loss of life. “Nothing about the past few days have felt real,” she mentioned in a put up on her personal Instagram story.
“Liam, my angel, you are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”
In the meantime, music mogul Simon Cowell mentioned he was “truly devastated” after the loss of life of the singer, including that he additionally felt “heartbroken” and “empty”. “Every tear I have shed is a memory of you,” he wrote in an announcement on Instagram.
Payne discovered fame alongside Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Kinds when The X Issue creator Cowell put them collectively to type One Path on the ITV expertise present in 2010.
A joint assertion from the band mentioned they have been “completely devastated” and would miss the singer “terribly”, including the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever”.
Payne died of a number of traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, a postmortem report mentioned. Argentina’s nationwide prison and correctional prosecutor’s workplace No 16 mentioned it was investigating the incident as an “inconclusive death” following the report.
