Liam Payne’s heartbroken girlfriend has broken her silence following his shock death.
Kate Cassidy, 25 had been with Payne, 31, in the days leading up to his death in an Argentinian hotel on Wednesday night.
Cassidy returned to her hometown of Florida after holidaying in Buenos Aires with Payne, who stayed in the Argentinian capital.
They were there to support Payne’s former One Direction bandmate, Niall Horan, who had been performing in the South American country.
They’d initially planned to stay in Argentina for just five days but ended up extending their stay, with Cassidy admitting she felt it was time to go.
On Wednesday night, it was reported Payne had died after falling from the third flood balcony of his hotel, which came after police had allegedly been called to reports of an “aggressive man” who may have been under the influence of “drink or drugs”.
Taking to Instagram on Friday, the bereaved actress penned: “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.”
Issuing a request to the public, she added: “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.”
Payne had only posted snaps of himself and Cassidy to his social media hours before the tragedy struck, although it was reported these were recorded days earlier.
On Cassidy’s own social media pages, she’d posted a clip detailing her reasons for leaving Argentina as she explained on TikTok: “Honestly, I love South America but I hate staying in one place for too long.
“And we were supposed to be there for like five days, [which] turned into two weeks. I was just like, ‘I need to go home.'”
She also told fans she had developed a “weird rash” because of the “anxiety” she felt about flying.
LISTEN HERE: Translated transcript of emergency 911 call from staff in Liam Payne’s Argentinian hotel
By coincidence, she ended up being seated in “1D,” something she also shared on her socials. “I was so happy to be home – it was so relieving,” she concluded.
Payne’s final post online showed himself and Cassidy seemingly enjoying the break as he shared on Snapchat that the two had tucked into a late breakfast.
“This is the breakfast table, just enjoying breakfast and coffee even though it’s 1pm,” he told fans, with Cassidy jokingly labelling them “losers” for waking up late.
Another recent TikTok post of Cassidy’s showed the couple enjoying a horse-riding session as she penned over the photo: “I am very grateful for the simple things in life.”
Payne started dating Cassidy in late 2022, with the pair making their red carpet-debut together in December of the same year.
The relationship came following Payne’s engagement to his model ex Maya Henry. The pair split for good in May 2022.
Mere days before Payne’s death, Henry served him with a legal cease and desist order following bouts of “obsessive” contact towards her, her friends, and her family.
Chillingly, she recently explained that Payne had warned her he would “die soon”. She told listeners of The Internet Is Dead podcast that Payne had gone to extreme lengths to contact her.
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Kate Cassidy has paid a heartbreaking tribute to Liam Payne
Getty
She claimed: “He would always message me, ever since we broke up, like ‘Oh, I’m not well’ — he would play with death be like, ‘Well, I’m going to die. I’m not doing well’.”
Among the tributes that have flooded in for Payne was a statement from his “devastated” family who said to the media: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.
“We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
The news sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment world and Payne’s fanbase on Wednesday night.
Alberto Crescenti, the city’s ambulance service provider spokesman, told the media at the time: “The alarm was raised at 5″04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.
“At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life.
“Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”
“Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal.
“There was no possibility of resuscitating him.”