RIP

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.

TikTok star Rachel Yaffe has died after battling cancer for several years ... her family confirmed in an obituary.

According to her loved ones, the Internet personality passed away on Friday ... following a 7-year battle with a rare liver cancer. Rachel, who documented her fight with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma on TikTok, had posted her last update in September ... in which she noted she was struggling in the aftermath of some recent radiation.

She shared at the time ... "It's been so hard for me to get up and force myself to move. So, I'm working on doing that. Thankfully, it's easier to walk around here, being in the city."

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."

Guilherme "Bomba" Vasconcelos -- an MMA fighter who competed in the UFC and Bellator, and dated Demi Lovato -- is dead at 38 years old, his family and members of the fighting community said on Tuesday.

The cause of death is not known at this time.

Vasconcelos made appearances across multiple MMA promotions ... and accumulated a record of 10-6 over the course of his seven-year pro career.

The partner of Janne Puhakka reportedly told police he shot and killed the former hockey player ... a tragedy that is being investigated as a murder.

According to local outlets, 66-year-old veterinarian Rolf Nordmo told police he and Puhakka, 29, split a few weeks ago and Janne had moved out of their Espoo apartment.

Despite the breakup, Nordmo reportedly said they still maintained some contact ... and when Puhakka came over to visit that Sunday for "the arrangement of practical matters," he shot him with a hunting shotgun.

Lisa Marie Presley's life and legacy were celebrated at Graceland ... to honor the arrival of the late singer's memoir.

Fans of Elvis Presley's daughter were invited into the King of Rock 'n' Roll's famous home for an exclusive experience, which included a rare glimpse of some of the estate's more intimate artifacts.

The celebration came days ahead of the release of "From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir," Lisa Marie's book that daughter Riley Keough completed in the wake of her mother's passing in 2023.

Employees from the luxury building where Pete Rose lived attempted to do a welfare check on the MLB legend just hours before he was found dead by his son, but received no response from the hit king ... a 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports reveals.

The emergency call to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department was initiated by workers at the Panorama Towers in Sin City at 2:54 PM. They told dispatch they attempted to check on Rose about two hours earlier, but despite banging on his door, received no answer.

The staff told the operator they could hear a television playing loudly inside Rose's unit.

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.

Former hockey pro Janne Puhakka -- Finland's first openly gay player -- was found shot to death on Sunday ... and police believe his partner was behind the killing.

Puhakka was only 29.

According to a report out of Finland, Janne was found in his Henttaa Espoo home ... where he lived with his partner, 66-year-old veterinarian Rolf Nordmo.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard has some advice for the Menendez Brothers ... saying the outside world is so different -- and, a good therapist goes a long way.

We caught up with Gyspy at LAX Sunday ... and, we had to ask her about the Erik and Lyle Menendez who are serving life sentences for murdering their parents -- though their case is receiving renewed attention over evidence supporting the claims their dad sexually abused them.

GRB -- who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for second-degree murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, who abused her -- says she's not super educated on the intricacies of the Menendez case ... but, she stands for all victims of abuse.

Taylor Rousseau Grigg -- the TikTok star who died tragically just last week -- has been laid to rest ... with her husband calling the ceremony "beautiful" on social media.

The influencer, who passed away just over a week ago -- was laid to rest Friday, her husband Cameron said ... sharing a picture of a white casket with a matching floral arrangement to his IG story.

Cameron wrote, "It was beautiful princess" followed by a white heart on the pic. He played the song, "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down over the image.