When Liam Payne died in October 2024 he was staying alone in a hotel in Buenos Aires. His girlfriend Kate Cassidy had been with him in Argentina, flying home to the US a few days earlier.
Given the tragic circumstances in which Payne died, falling from the third-floor balcony of the hotel while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, there has been a great deal of speculation about what happened. Five people have been charged in connection with his death and the investigation is still ongoing.
His girlfriend, for her part, believes his death was a ‘tragic accident’ and in a new interview has opened up about the backlash she received from fans following Payne's death. Speaking to The Sun, she admitted she would ‘never have left Argentina’ if she had known Payne would die. ‘No, I never did think [he might die young],’ she continued. ‘I just never thought this would have happened.’
When news broke of the singer’s death, Cassidy, who had been in a relationship with Payne since 2022, posted a tribute online calling him her ‘best friend’ and ‘the love of my life’. She also shared a note Payne had written her shortly before he died, suggesting that the pair would get married.
‘Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end.' Cassidy explains that she only flew back to Florida to take care of their rescue dog, Nala. A few days later, a friend of Payne’s called her to tell her that he had died and she said she ‘completely blacked out’ and ‘felt numb’.
Cassidy went on to say ‘it still doesn’t feel real’ and that she thinks about the former One Direction star ‘every second of every day’, believing that they were soulmates. 'He was the most humble, charming, normal person you could ever hope to come across, and genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life.
‘That he won’t be there with me to navigate through this life, that I’ll have to deal with this without him by my side, it’s really hard,’ Cassidy added. ‘You don’t think about the worst possible thing that can happen.’ She has since had 'LP' and '444' tattooed on her wrists, explaining that '444' is their angel number.
The couple had originally been in Argentina on holiday to watch Payne’s former bandmate Niall Horan in concert. Cassidy said Liam was in a good headspace when she left the hotel.
Toxicology tests conducted shortly after his death revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in Payne’s body, according to the prosecutor’s office in Argentina. The cause of his death has been confirmed as ‘polytrauma’ – a term for multiple traumatic injuries – at the opening of a UK inquest held in Buckinghamshire.
As well as Cassidy, Payne is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear, who he shares with Cheryl Cole, as well as his parents and two older sisters. Shortly after Payne’s death was announced, Cheryl made a plea for people to stop speculating about his death and to grant his friends and family privacy.
‘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,’ she wrote on Instagram. ‘A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again. [...] Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last.’
The trial for Payne’s death is expected to take place later this year in Argentina. Three people have been charged with negligent homicide, two people have been charged with supplying drugs and the hotel’s manager and reception have been charged with manslaughter.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).