Kate Cassidy pays tribute to boyfriend Liam Payne - ‘You are everything’

Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy said she is “at a complete loss” after the news of his death.

The 25-year-old influencer, who had been in a relationship with Payne for the past two years, shared her first statement since the tragic news on Instagram this morning, writing: “Thank you for all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way. I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real.

“I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.

“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.”

Cassidy has been subject to a barrage of online abuse since the death of 31-year-old Payne was announced after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday.

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Payne rose to international stardom as one-fifth of the English-Irish boy band One Direction, who formed and placed third on the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010.

The band soon became teen idols, often sparking widespread hysteria among fans. The group is one of the best-selling boy groups of all time.

One Direction have sold over 65 million albums worldwide and netted four UK number-one singles and four number-one albums.

Born in Wolverhampton, England, in 1993, Payne was just 14 when he first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, moving past the first round after performing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon.

Payne was first eliminated at the Boot Camp, until host Simon Cowell - who would later sign One Direction to his record label - changed his mind and asked Payne to return. He was eliminated again at the judge’s houses, but was encouraged by Cowell to come back “in two years” - which he did.

He auditioned again in 2010 and was put into the group with Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles. They went on to release five studio albums: Up All Night (2011), Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013), Four (2014), and Made in the A.M. (2015).

A 2013 documentary, One Direction: This Is Us, followed the group on their Take Me Home tour. Directed by Morgan Spurlock (who died in 2024 age 53), it featured footage of the group’s lives on tour and at home, interviews with the band and their closest collaborators, and 3D concert footage.