Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has broken her silence over the One Direction star’s death, saying “nothing about the past few days have felt real”.
The US content creator left Payne, 31, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, just days before he fell to his death from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel’s third floor into an internal courtyard on Wednesday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Simon Cowell speaks out following death of Liam Payne.
“Thank you for all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way,” Cassidy said.
“I have been at a complete loss.
“Nothing about the past few days have (sic) felt real.
“I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.”
Addressing Payne directly, Cassidy said she had lost “my angel”.
“You are everything,” she said.
“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.”
Prosecutors in Buenos Aires said on Thursday an initial search suggested Payne’s fall from the hotel balcony came after substance abuse.
Police earlier said they had found the room in “total disorder” in a search after his death, with various items smashed and medications scattered around the lodging.
Payne and Cassidy had spent the past few weeks together on holiday in Buenos Aires, making the trip to attend a concert by Payne’s former bandmate Niall Horan.
Cassidy appeared in Payne’s final Snapchat post, with Payne sharing a mirror selfie of the pair minutes before he fell to his death.
However, it is understood Cassidy was in the US when Payne died, with the photo perhaps taken days earlier.
Payne announced on Instagram ahead of Horan’s show that he and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy were “going to Argentina”.
“One, because we want to. Two, because we want to. And three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say ‘hello’,” he said.
“It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about and I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy.
“No bad vibes or nothing like that but we just need to talk.”
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On Friday night, Horan said he was “absolutely devastated” by the death of his “amazing friend”.
“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious,” he said.
“He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure.
“We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever.”
Payne’s former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik also paid tribute to their “brother”.
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life,” Styles said.
Malik shared a photo of him with a young Payne dozing off. “I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give just to give you a hug one last time,” he wrote.
Along with a picture of Payne embracing him at a gig, Tomlinson said he was beyond lucky to have had Payne in his life. “I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye,” he said.
“I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”
Payne and Cassidy were first spotted together in October 2022 attending a Halloween party. In the following months, Cassidy shared photos from their trip to Rome before the couple made their red carpet debut in December 2022.
They sparked break-up rumours in May 2023 after they had not been photographed together in months.
However, come June, they were spotted on a date night in London holding hands.
– With AAP
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