Liam Payne’s girlfriend breaks silence after his death

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Liam Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, has broken her silence after the late singer fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week.

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The model and influencer said she’s “at a complete loss” after the 31-year-old died last Wednesday.

“Nothing about the past few days have felt real,” Cassidy posted on her Instagram Stories. “I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.”

She then addressed the One Direction bandmember directly, writing: “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 had been travelling with Payne in Argentina in the weeks leading up to his death, but had returned to the U.S. two days before he died.

In the hours following the incident, fans combed through Payne’s social media posts searching for insight into his mental state.

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In a series of videos shared to his Snapchat on Wednesday, the father of one appeared normal and said he was “having a lovely day” in Argentina with Cassidy.

Cheryl Cole, who is the mother of Payne’s only child, seven-year-old Bear, also issued a statement hitting out at “abhorrent reports” and “media exploitation” of her former partner, who she split with in 2018.

“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,” she wrote in a post shared to her Instagram. “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.”

She continued, “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. 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.”

Cole ended her message by asking people speculating about Payne’s death to give him a “little dignity” and let him “rest in some peace at last.”

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On Thursday, the U,K, Sun, the Associated Press and Argentinian outlet La Nacion translated an emergency call made by the manager of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires in which the person could be heard saying a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “putting his life at risk.”

“They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk,” the manager named “Esteban” said.

By the time medical personnel arrived, Payne’s body was on the ground outside the hotel with La Nacion reporting that “a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a cellphone” were also found at the scene.

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Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, said in a statement to The Associated Press that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.” 

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Guests who were staying at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel detailed Payne’s “disturbing” behaviour in his final hours.

A woman named Rebecca told told the Daily Mail “there was something a bit desperate about him” when she encountered Payne.

Several witnesses told TMZ that in the leadup to the 911 call, the Teardrops hitmaker had been “acting erratic” in the hotel lobby.

Payne reportedly “smashed his laptop, and had to be carried back to his room.”  

Another guest told PEOPLE they heard “a lot of noise” in his room right before he fell, including “a really loud, violent scream.”

According to the AP, an autopsy showed internal bleeding and 25 traumatic injuries to his skull, limbs and abdomen, consistent with a fall. It said those injuries alone were enough to cause his death.

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Payne may have fallen into “a state of unconsciousness,” the AP reported, and may have been “going through some kind of substance abuse episode.”

As police aim to pull together a timeline of Payne’s final hours, they interviewed two women who were with the singer earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, a source told PEOPLE that Payne “was extremely overwhelmed by all of the legal issues … related to his ex-fiancee, Maya Henry.” 

According to the Daily Mail, Payne was hit with a cease-and-desist order last week after he repeatedly tried to contact Henry.

Speculation that Payne might have been struggling also began to mount after a source told the Daily Mail that the singer — who gained fame as a member of One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson in 2010 — had been dropped by his record label. 

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“Out of all of the One Direction boys, Liam was on the wrong path musically,” the insider claimed.

Payne released the EP First Time in 2018, and his 18-song studio album, LP1, the following year.

Speaking to Men’s Health Australia in 2019, Payne was open about his struggle with substance abuse and the pressures of fame.

“It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band,” he said at the time. “There have been a lot of people in trouble with mental health that aren’t really getting the help that they need, and I think that’s a bit of a problem in our industry,” he told the outlet. “It’s the same s— that happens to everyone, that’s been happening since the ‘70s.”

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