Kate Cassidy Mourns Boyfriend Liam Payne’s Death: Nothing Has 'Felt Real'

Kate Cassidy is mourning the loss of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Liam Payne, who died on Wednesday, October 16, at 31 years old.

“Thank you for all the kind words and love that has been sent my way,” she wrote via Instagram Stories on Friday, October 18. “I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real. I ask and pray that you give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.”

Cassidy went on to call the pop star her “angel.”

“You are everything,” she continued. “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.”

Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy’s Relationship Timeline

The former One Direction singer fell to his death off a third story balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. He had previously been in Argentina earlier in the month to attend former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert at the Movistar Arena. Cassidy, 25, accompanied Payne to the show on October 2.

Payne — who shared son Bear, 7, with ex Cheryl Cole — and the influencer went public with their romance in October 2022 before making their red carpet debut in December of that year at the London Fashion Awards.

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While they preferred to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, Cassidy supported Liam at the premiere of his documentary, All of Those Voices, in March 2023.

“What a crazy eye opening experience! … I’m so glad I got to share those moments with you watching your best friend, even the tearful ones,” Cassidy captioned an Instagram post at the time of her and Payne. “[Louis], well done on such a beautiful film that everybody will love.”

Us Weekly confirmed in May 2023 that the pair had split. They later reconciled, appearing together at Wimbledon later that summer.

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Payne rose to fame as a member of One Direction, a boy band formed by Simon Cowell on the British singing competition show The X Factor in 2010. The group — which consisted of Payne, Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik — became a massive success and one of the best-selling boy bands of all time until their hiatus in 2016.

Payne then embarked on his own solo music career, releasing his debut album, LP1, featuring hit single “Strip That Down,” in December 2019. Payne had been working on his second studio album and planned a tour of South America in 2023, but was forced to cancel the shows after he suffered a serious kidney infection.

At the time, Cassidy reassured fans via social media after Payne recovered.