Chris Cornell’s daughter, Toni, has criticized TMZ for publishing a cropped image of Liam Payne’s lifeless body in their report on the singer’s death.
Late on October 18, Toni shared her thoughts on Instagram stories. “In the wake of Liam Payne’s tragic passing, I feel compelled to speak out about the disgusting, distressing photos released by TMZ including graphic images of his hotel room and body,” she wrote. “Having seen those photos, I can’t help but reflect on my own experience when graphic images of my father’s death were also published by TMZ.”
She added to her statement: “As a 12-year-old, I stumbled upon those pictures while scrolling through my iPad, and it was indescribably traumatizing, and something I still carry with me to this day. TMZ still has not chosen to have the decency, seven years later, to remove those photos from the internet, and it is something I believe should be done.
“While the images of Liam have since been taken down, it means nothing. They should never have been put up in the first place, and it breaks my heart to think that his 7 year old son, Bear, might one day come across them and suffer exactly as I did. It is still shocking to me that the privacy of human beings and their families fail to be respected by the public and the media, especially in times of human loss, choosing sensationalism over basic human decency. This isn’t how an artist or a father should be remembered,” Toni added. She ended her statement by sending her love and support to Payne’s family and loved ones.
While TMZ later removed the pictures, they were publicly available for quite some time.
After TMZ reported on Liam’s passing on Wednesday, friends and fans criticized the site for the now-removed photos, which allegedly confirmed his death with close-ups of his tattoos.
Payne died at 31 when he fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An autopsy indicated he died from ‘multiple trauma’ and ‘internal and external hemorrhage.’ The Public Prosecutor’s Office stated there was evidence of substance abuse. La Nación reported that Hotel Casa Sur staff called the police before the incident, saying they had reported ‘an aggressive man that could’ve been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.’