Chris Cornell’s daughter Toni has slammed media outlet TMZ for sharing photos of Liam Payne’s dead body. Michael Babcock, the executive producer of TMZ, defended the decision saying the published image did not show his full body or face but only featured his arm and abdomen, displaying distinctive tattoos.
These tattoos were used to help confirm Liam Payne’s identity before the police made an official statement. Once it was confirmed, the image was removed from the site. Taking to her Instagram story, Toni Cornell reflected on how a similar incident happened at the time of her father Chris Cornell’s death in 2017. She wrote:
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“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.”
Toni Cornell continued:
“As a 12-year-old, I stumbled upon those pictures while scrolling through my iPad, and it was indescribably traumatising, 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.
She also wrote that although those images of Liam Payne were eventually removed, it did little to change the fact that they should never have been posted in the first place. Toni reflected on how his 7-year-old son, Bear, might one day see them and experience the same pain.
Chris Cornell died of suicide at the age of 52. He was discovered dead in his hotel bathroom shortly after a performance with Soundgarden at Detroit's Fox Theatre on May 18, 2017. The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Chris Cornell's death to be a suicide by hanging.
After Chris Cornell's daughter, Liam Payne's ex-partner requested an end to the ‘media exploitation’
Like Chris Cornell’s daughter, his son Bear's mother Cheryl Cole had previously urged the media and public to treat Liam Payne with the respect he deserved and allow him to rest in peace. She emphasized the importance of remembering that a life was lost.
Liam Payne was more than just a pop star. He was a son, brother, uncle, friend, and father to their 7-year-old son, Bear, who would now face the heartbreaking reality of growing up without his father.
Cheryl expressed deep concern over the troubling reports and media exploitation surrounding Payne's death, which she fears Bear would eventually come across. The inability to shield her son from this future pain only deepens her heartache. She wrote:
“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.”
Liam Payne tragically passed away on October 16, 2024, after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentinian prosecutor’s office later determined that his death resulted from multiple traumas, along with internal and external bleeding.
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