Music

Liam Payne's sister Nicola is hoping the singer has "finally found peace" after he fell to his death in Argentina last week.

The One Direction alum's older sister posted on Instagram in the aftermath of Liam's death ... paying tribute to the late pop star and revealing her initial reaction to the tragic news.

As Nicola put it ... she learned of Liam's passing through a news notification on her phone, which left her hoping the update was "untrue."

She added ... "I have spent days hoping that it was a mistake and somebody got it wrong. You were truly too good for this earth, you are an angel who just lived for making people smile and happy. You have always shown kindness to everyone you met and it shows with just how many people have confirmed what we always knew!"

As Nicola continued, she declared herself and the rest of the Payne family Liam's "biggest fans always and forever" ... praising her little brother for his "brilliant" talent and dedication.

Before signing off her note, Nicola promised to keep Liam's legacy alive, especially for the singer's son, Bear ... who he welcomed with Cheryl Cole in 2017.

She noted ... "We will make sure Bear knows about his daddy and how much you loved him, we promise this."

Nicola's tribute comes shortly after Liam's other big sister, Ruth Gibbins, posted to social media, in which she apologized for not being able to "save" the singer.

Countless others have honored Liam in the wake of his passing, too ... including Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Simon Cowell, Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora.

As TMZ previously reported, Liam fell to his death from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires last Wednesday. The singer had been in Argentina to support his former 1D bandmate Niall's concert at the Movistar Arena earlier in the month ... ultimately choosing to extend his visit.

Police have said Liam jumped from his hotel balcony ... and that a possibly hallucinogenic drug, called "cristal," may be to blame. However, police are waiting for final test results for substances found in Liam's hotel room before confirming. The investigation is ongoing.

Diddy says he's the victim of pure character assassination by witnesses and their attorneys in his federal criminal case -- and he claims it's depriving him of the right to get a fair trial.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy says he has a constitutional right to a fair trial, but he's not gonna get one if his detractors -- namely his multitude of accusers and their lawyers -- don't stop flapping their gums to reporters.

As you know, Diddy was arrested in September on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. He faces a possible life sentence in prison if convicted.

Taylor Swift gave Dave Portnoy a big surprise this weekend -- a letter penned by the pop superstar thanking him for all of his support.

Portnoy -- the self-proclaimed "king of the Swifties" -- received the handwritten letter from Taylor's brother, Austin, who personally delivered it to the Barstool Sports owner before he attended the singer's "Eras" tour concert in Miami on Saturday.

Portnoy was so excited, his "BFFs" podcast posted the letter Sunday on Instagram with a caption that read,  “What a gift from @taylorswift to @stoolpresidente at last night’s Eras Tour.

Jelly Roll says X users are a bunch of "Wild Ones" ... saying people go crazy on the app and throw horrible comments back and forth -- and, he says he's out on it.

The singer-songwriter posted to X earlier Sunday ... kicking it off by calling the platform formely known as Twitter "the most toxic negative app to exist ever — PERIOD."

JR says the social media site isn't the same as it's always been ... saying he's always heard it was the Wild West, but it's gone further than that -- becoming simply a safe space for people to express all of the vile vitriol anyone could wanna spit.

Justin Bieber getting back onstage ... performing alongside pal Don Toliver -- all while his wife Hailey supported him from the crowd.

The pop star took the stage during DT's L.A. show Saturday night ... singing and dancing. There were some cheers in the crowd, and lots of cameras filming the star who doesn't perform nearly as much as he used to.

Videos posted to IG by Hailey also capture her reaction to her man gettin' back onstage ... dancing to Toliver's tracks while seated pretty far from the stage in what appears to be some sort of VIP area.

Kamala Harris is turning to ATL icon Usher to help her secure Georgia, and although most pundits think celebs don't move the needle -- both campaigns are rallying with 'em every chance they get.

Just over 2 weeks before Election Day, Usher was at the podium Saturday for the Vice President's Atlanta rally ... where he touted Harris as a "new generation of leadership for our country."

The Grammy winner added that he's backing KH for prez because she "fights for everyone's rights, for freedom" ... and he reminded the crowd they're in the home stretch to get their candidate across the finish line.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions aren't just about music anymore -- as greats like Cher, Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews and Ozzy Osbourne entered the Hall ... A-list super fans and racy outfits were also front and center.

The ceremony went down Saturday night in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- and Cher's iconic hit, "Believe" kicked things off, as she performed it with Dua Lipa.

When it came time to induct Cher, Zendaya did the honors while rocking a barely-there gown that looked like she borrowed it directly from Cher's closet.

Willie Nelson's on the campaign trail again ... announcing a cannabis community Zoom call he's organizing to support Kamala Harris next week.

The singer-songwriter announced the event Saturday ... releasing a statement about the upcoming Zoom he's running from his Luck Ranch in Texas.

In the statement, WN says cannabis is a path to healing ... and, candidates like Harris understand the importance of ending the federal ban on the substance and look at past sentences giving for marijuana possession.

Pink fans in the Midwest are sure to be a little disappointed ... 'cause she just postponed a few shows out there -- a decision she says it out of her hands.

The singer-songwriter posted to Instagram Saturday morning ... telling ticketholders in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa she's gotta put off the shows she planned in their states.

Pink doesn't explain why she's can't perform on the scheduled dates ... chalking it up to "reasons beyond my control."

Kanye West is used to his wife Bianca Censori turning heads when they walk in a room -- being nearly nude will do that -- but now, it's her hair folks are staring at instead of her body.

Mr. and Mrs. West had a night out in Tokyo, and right off the bat it was her wild new 'do that caught everyone's eye. Bianca's hair was teased out to the limit ... kinda looking like she'd stuck her finger in an electrical socket.

She and Ye moved through the crowded Gold Bar at EDITION, and joined a table of friends ... where Kanye was smiling more than we typically see him doing in public.

Madonna attended a packed show at Madison Square Garden this week ... no, it wasn't her own -- it was Billie Eilish's instead!

The legendary pop star stopped by the legendary New York City venue with her boyfriend Akeem Morris to watch Billie and her brother Finneas put on their show.

No special VIP tickets for the Queen of Pop BTW ... looks like she's in the crowd like everyone else -- jamming out and chattin' in her man's ear.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are trying to keep their divorce civil ... attending the same event with their fam -- including Ben's ex Jennifer Garner!

The trio stepped out Friday night in Brentwood ... hitting an event in the West Los Angeles area -- and, though we don't know if they actually had a convo -- we do know Ben and J Lo arrived just minutes apart.

We're told Garner arrived first at around 7 PM ... with J Lo following her five minutes later and Ben pulling up shortly after that.

Zayn Malik's still reeling from Liam Payne's death ... announcing moments ago he's postponing his "Stairway to the Sky" tour after the "heartbreaking loss" this week.

The singer-songwriter posted a short message to his Instagram story ... telling fans he needs to push off the U.S. leg of his tour -- and, he's rescheduling for January.

ZM says he plans to post the updated dates in the coming days ... and, he's thanking fans for their compassion and understanding during this time.

Liam Payne stayed in one other hotel before checking into the one where he died, and did party pretty hard while there -- but, despite reports, it wasn't enough to get him kicked out of the fancy spot.

Liam and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy were staying at the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires during the week prior to his death, and a staffer there tells TMZ ... the couple was definitely in celebratory vacay mode.

We're told Liam did get "pretty drunk" on some nights, but he was never belligerent. In fact, he was, at least, trying to be entertaining ... as he would sometimes sing in the lobby.

Shawn Mendes was so overcome with emotion over the death of Liam Payne ... the singer paused his NYC concert Friday night to pay tribute to his pal.

Shawn was performing at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre when he took a moment to tell the crowd that the One Direction star was a "beautiful soul" ... and the shocking news of his death was "devastating."

SM emotionally lamented ... “Liam, we love you. The world is crying for you, brother. And we’re all praying for your son and your family, and I miss you, man. So this one’s for you tonight, Liam, from all of us.”

Taylor Swift's final leg of her epic "Eras" tour is off and running after after a two-month hiatus -- and the Miami concert drew some major celebs.

Taylor swooped in to perform at the Hard Rock Stadium, with the likes of retired NFL star Tom Brady, tennis great Serena Williams and "Today" cohosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie all enjoying the show.

Just before the gig, Tom posted a photo with his 2 sons, Jack and Benjamin — and the happy trio was all smiles. Tom wrote in the caption, "Boys night at the Eras Tour."