Celebrity Death

Liam Payne's family is sharing their grief in the aftermath of the One Direction alum's fatal fall in Argentina.

The late singer's loved ones issued a statement Thursday, a day after Liam fell from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina and died.

In a note shared with the BBC, Liam's family said they are "heartbroken" following the news of his passing, and are taking time to remember the pop star's personality and legacy.

Rita Ora's clearly feeling the loss of Liam Payne ... getting so emotional at her show last night, she couldn't even sing -- and straight-up walked off the stage at one point.

The singer-songwriter performed in Japan just hours after news of Liam's tragic death in Argentina broke ... and, she played her hit song "For You" -- the track recorded for "Fifty Shades Freed," which features Liam.

While the song plays, Rita walks around the stage looking at the audience and waving her hands in the air. She's letting her fans drive this one -- allowing them to lead the music.

Simon Cowell is taking a brief step back from the spotlight following the tragic death of former protégé Liam Payne.

"Britain's Got Talent," the long-running competition series created by Simon, canceled its Thursday taping after the One Direction star's passing in Buenos Aires, Argentina Wednesday.

This isn't surprising given Simon's long history with Liam and his band, One Direction. Remember, Simon formed the popular boy band on "The X Factor (UK)" ... another singing competition show created by the music mogul.

Liam Payne's girlfriend left Argentina without the singer days before his death ... saying she didn't want to stay in one place too long -- and, bailed after a 5-day trip turned into 2 weeks.

Kate Cassidy -- a social media influencer based in Miami -- posted a video chronicling her journey back to the States from Buenos Aires on Monday ... 2 days before Liam fell to his death at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.

Cassidy starts the clip by saying she's leaving the country because she doesn't like sticking around in one place too long ... saying she'd originally planned to stay 5 days, but she'd stuck around for about 2 weeks -- and, she just needed to go home.

Liam Payne's beloved professional soccer club is addressing the singer's tragic death ... sharing a heartfelt message in his honor.

The former One Direction member was a passionate soccer fan, specifically of West Bromwich Albion F.C. of the EFL Championship ... and attended numerous matches over the years.

Shortly after the news broke of Payne's passing ... WBA released a statement on social media.

Shortly before Liam Payne fell to his death from a balcony, a hotel manager reportedly called 911 to report the former One Direction star was wasted and destroying his room.

According to a 911 transcript, obtained by several media outlets, Payne was in the throes of a complete meltdown in his third-floor room at the CasaSur Hotel in Palermo, Buenos Aires.

CNN and La Nacion say the manager phoned a 911 operator around 5 PM Wednesday to get help. Here's a summary of their purported conversation ...

3:33 PM PT -- Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Liam Payne and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy arrived in Argentina on September 30, posting several social media posts together showing them having fun on vacation. We're told she left Argentina on the 14th. Liam stayed behind, and checked into the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.

We're told someone at the hotel called 911 to report an "aggressive" male at the hotel today ... which lines up with what witnesses told us about Liam's behavior in the lobby.

Liam Payne is dead after a fall from his hotel balcony in Argentina ... TMZ has learned.

Liam Payne's sudden death is sending shockwaves around the world ... with tons of celebs reacting to his loss.

Ty Dolla Sign says he just talked to Liam two days before he died ... and Ty's going to miss the former One Direction member.

Charlie Puth posted that he was in shock, adding ... "Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone."

Paris Hilton is sending love and condolences to Liam's family and loved ones ... and she says hearing about her friend's death was upsetting.

Zedd and Juicy J both posted that they couldn't believe Liam was dead ... with Zedd saying he's heartbroken and Juicy J sending prayers to Liam's family.

Shawn Mendes posted "we take care of each other" ... Joe Exotic said "RIP" ... Flavor Flav lamented Liam being only 31 ... and Zak Bagans shared an old photo of them together.

As we reported ... Liam died Wednesday after a fall from his hotel balcony in Argentina.

It was an emotional home opener for the Columbus Blue Jackets ... as the team honored the life of Johnny Gaudreau with a touching tribute before the action kicked off -- and there wasn't a dry eye in the arena.

During pregame warmups, the entire team wore #13 jerseys as they took the ice ... which will be put up for auction with proceeds going to the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation.

The tribute to Johnny didn't stop there. The team welcomed Johnny's wife Meredith -- and their two kids -- to the ice as they raised a banner to the rafters "In his memory and the legacy of number 13."

Ka, the Brooklyn-bred rapper with a penchant for letting his elaborate cinematic noir albums do the talking for him -- not public engagements -- died suddenly over the weekend.

On Monday, his IG account broke the bombshell news he died on October 12 in NYC -- the place where he dedicated his livelihood. He is survived by his wife, mother and sister.

No cause of death has been revealed.

Late "American Pickers" star Frank Fritz died from a stroke, TMZ has learned ... this according to officials.

According to Frank's death certificate, obtained by TMZ, the immediate cause of death is "late sequela of cerebral infarction" ... medical jargon for a stroke.

The document says Frank's fatal stroke was a result of cerebral vascular disease ... a condition that affects blood flow and blood vessels in the brain.

El Taiger -- the Reggaeton star who was found shot in the head in Miami last week -- has died ... according to a statement posted to his Instagram.

According to the IG post, written in Spanish, El Taiger -- born José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar -- passed away Thursday afternoon. The announcement thanked fans for their prayers over the last week as they all hoped for a miracle.

The statement says that El Taiger is now reunited with his mother in heaven ... and, the rest of his family thanks the medical staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for doing everything they could to save the star.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy Sr., is dead.

Ethel died Thursday morning as a result of complications related to the stroke she suffered last week ... the famous family just announced.

As we reported ... Ethel had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke in her sleep.

"Days of Our Lives" actor Drake Hogestyn's official cause of death has been confirmed as pancreatic cancer.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, the L.A. Medical Examiner's report states pancreatic cancer was the immediate cause of his death. Other significant conditions contributing to his death, but not directly causing it, included vomiting, dehydration, and whole-body toxicity.

The report also reveals that Drake was cremated at the Rose Family Funeral Home in Simi Valley.

NHL writer Frank Seravalli is facing a ton of backlash over an insensitive comment he made regarding Johnny Gaudreau's death ... and it's gotten to the point where he was forced to apologize over it all.

Seravalli wrote up an article that included 32 bold predictions for the upcoming season on Monday -- and predicted the Columbus Blue Jackets would win the lottery "with a little help from Gaudreau."

Fans online were quick to call him out  -- and even though he revised the piece multiple times, people were still calling it "disgusting."

Lisa Marie Presley was so heartbroken over her son Benjamin Keough's death she kept his body at home for two months, according to her new memoir, which was completed by her daughter, Riley Keough, after her own death in 2023.

In a segment from the memoir "From Here to the Great Unknown," Lisa Marie revealed she fought to stay alive for her kids, including her twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood, now 16 -- and that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye to Benjamin right away.

While Lisa Marie wrestled with the decision of whether to bury Benjamin in Hawaii or at Graceland, in Tennessee -- where Elvis is buried -- she kept him in a separate casita at her home in Calabasas, California. It worked out since California doesn’t have laws requiring immediate burial.