TMZ has drawn massive outrage after the tabloid published pictures of the late Liam Payne's body after the One Direction singer tragically fell to his death from the roof of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The photos showed portions of Payne's arm and waist, which were covered in identifying tattoos.
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00:00TMZ has drawn massive outrage after the tabloid published pictures of the late Liam Payne's body
00:05after the One Direction singer tragically fell to his death from the roof of a hotel
00:10in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The photos showed portions of Payne's arm and waist,
00:15which were covered in identifying tattoos. At the time, the tabloid wrote,
00:19TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam's body on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and
00:24chairs nearby. We're not showing the whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoo,
00:29a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen.
00:32The decision to run the photos drew fierce backlash on social media.
00:36Singer Alessia Cara wrote, You're gross, TMZ. The sentiments were echoed across the social
00:41media platform by horrified fans, still in shock from news of Payne's death.
00:46TMZ and its founder, Herve Levin, did not immediately respond to request for comment.
00:51But the site appeared to second-guess the decision. The photos later disappeared from
00:55the post, with a copy changed to read, TMZ has seen a photo showing Liam's body.
01:00This is not the first time TMZ has had backlash over its reporting of celebrity deaths.
01:05TMZ, while reporting on the 2020 helicopter crash that took the life of Kobe Bryant and his
01:1013-year-old daughter Gianna, in addition to seven others, broke the story less than two hours after
01:15the crash. Law enforcement criticized TMZ for reporting on the accident before the coroner's
01:21office could confirm the identities of the victims and inform the families.
01:25Levin later claimed that TMZ had gotten approval from Kobe's people to run the story.
01:30For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:33And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.