TMZ received backlash over photos of Liam Payne’s body

TMZ revealed cropped photos of Liam Payne’s body after he fell three stories from a hotel balcony in Argentina and is now receiving online backlash. The incident sparked a debate as to what is and isn’t appropriate to reveal as a news outlet. 

The 31-year-old singer died Wednesday at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Costa Rica Street in the Palermo neighborhood, according to local police. TMZ was one of the first news outlets in the United States to report on Payne’s death. 

Their initial article included photos of Payne’s body obtained by the outlet. The photos were cropped into two photos and zoomed in to show Payne’s tattoos. One photo was of a portion of his torso where he had a tattoo of a scorpion and another photo showed one of Payne’s arms which had several tattoos, including one of a clock. 

In the article, the news outlet said “TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam’s body on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby. We’re not showing the whole body but you can clearly see his tattoos – a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen.”

Readers quickly went to social media to call TMZ out on the photos. Alessia Clara, a singer, posted “you’re gross @TMZ” on X. Another user on X, by the username @wickednewshub, called the news outlet “sickening and heartless.”

“TMZ posting edited pictures of Liam Payne’s body is absolutely vile behavior and completely indefensible,” Zing Tsjeng, the former editor of Vice, said in a post to X.

Shayan Sardarizadeh, BBC journalist, condemned the celebrity news outlet in a post to X. “TMZ is trying to get clicks and ad money off a young man’s dead body just minutes after the news of his death,” he said.

The photos have since been removed from TMZ’s website. However, the text has been edited to say “TMZ has seen a photo showing Liam's body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby. You can clearly see his tattoos -- a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen -- which helped us confirm early reports from witnesses.”

The outlet has faced backlash with similar controversy before. They were yelled at by police at the scene of Kobe Bryant's death and received backlash after reporting on his death before his family was notified. TMZ also shared grainy footage of Solange and Jay-Z's elevator fight in 2017.

TMZ has not released a statement regarding the photo of Payne’s body as of Thursday. 

Payne died from multiple injuries that involved an “internal and external hemorrhage,” according to CNN, who viewed the preliminary autopsy report. A toxicology report is still pending. 

Emergency services had been called just after 5 p.m. local time to the hotel after staff reported a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.” The hotel manager, who made the call, added “he breaks things up. He is tearing the whole room apart.” The manager told emergency services they needed “someone to be sent to us urgently.”

Fans gathered in front of the hotel to hold a vigil Wednesday night. They sang popular One Direction songs and held candles to honor Payne’s death.

Since the news of Payne’s death, celebrities like Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Rita Ora have made statements. 

Payne initially went to Argentina earlier this month to support Horan, who had a show there. He had stayed in Argentina since the concert. He was seen meeting fans the day before he died. Payne leaves behind his seven-year-old son, Bear.