In their two years together, Liam Payne and girlfriend Kate Cassidy created many happy memories together – and their trip to Argentina should have been just another adventure to look back on with fondness.
Sadly, things took a devastating turn after Liam fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, dying instantly after sustaining “very serious injuries incompatible with life”. His death at the age of just 31 has led to an outpouring of tributes from fans, many of whom have followed Liam’s life and career since his early days as a teenage X Factor hopeful.
Many have also extended their sympathies to Kate, 25, who Liam had been deeply in love with. Standing up for his girlfriend against trolls who’d accused her of being with him for the money, Liam had once declared: “I’ve never felt a love like I do for Katelyn.”
Marriage note
According to Kate, Liam had intended to marry her, making his wishes clear in a note he wrote shortly before his tragic death. Taking to Instagram this week, Kate opened up about the romantic message Liam had told her not to read, that he’d penned during an evening spent manifesting the futures they’d hoped for. Sadly, these dreams were cut devastatingly short.
Kate wrote: “A few weeks ago, we sat outside on a beautiful evening manifesting our lives together. I keep your note close, even though you told me not to look at it. It said, ‘Me and Kate to marry within a year/engaged & together forever 444’. Liam, I know we’ll be together forever, but not in the way we had planned. You’ll always be with me. I’ve gained a guardian angel.”
She continued: “I will love you for the rest of my life and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with me everywhere I go. Forever yours, Katelyn 444.” In numerology, 444 is an angel number that represents a powerful message of guidance, support, and love from angels watching over you.
Decision to leave
In his last social media video before his shock death, he showed himself and the 25-year-old influencer at the breakfast table, with it captioned: “Lovely day in Argentina [love heart emoji].” He filmed Kate waving who revealed how they “sleep in everyday until 12, we’re such losers.” To which Liam replied: “No” before giggling.
But Liam was then left to enjoy the South American country alone as Kate decided to fly home back to Florida. She admitted it was starting to feel a bit too long to hang out in the country when she posted a TikTok before the incident.
She said: “I was so ready to leave. Love South America, but I hate staying in one place for too long and we were supposed to be there for five days, turned into two weeks and I was just like, ‘I need to go home.'” Liam instead chose to stick around at the hotel and around 48 hours later, he was found dead.
‘Hostage’ situation
Although photos from their holiday appeared idyllic, a friend of Kate’s has compared her stay in Argentina to a ‘hostage situation’. This unnamed pal told the New York Post that Kate had harboured concerns that Liam was preparing to go on a bender after she flew back home, however, she couldn’t stay any longer.
The source explained: “She can’t leave, or else who knows what will happen? And if she leaves, what will he do? But she has other responsibilities, other things that she’s supposed to be doing. So she finally had to make a decision.”
They continued: “They’re in Argentina and it’s like a hostage situation. So she tells him she wants to leave, this is after a week. He begs her to stay. She keeps extending her trip, a day, two days. And he just wants her to stay, stay, stay.”
“I get what people are saying, that she should just stay with her rich, famous boyfriend, but she wanted to be home in her own bed with her dog. She wanted to come home. So eventually she says she’s going home.”
‘Betrayal’
Just hours before he fell from his Buenos Aires Hotel balcony, the singer’s decision to contact two women through an Argentine website has raised questions about the personal struggles he was facing in the days leading up to his death. Gemidos is well-known in Argentina, a portal where hundreds of women across the country offer companionship with photos and detailed descriptions.
The claims reportedly left Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy feeling “betrayed” and “hurt” after police questioned the two escorts who allege they partied with the pop star before his death. The Daily Mail reported that the duo, who admitted to being sex workers, claimed they were hired for a client at the CasaSur hotel via an online platform. During their interrogation, the escorts said they “drank alcohol” with Liam but denied using any drugs with him.
A source disclosed to Argentine news outlet Clarin: “The witnesses were co-operative, not only in their statements but also in offering access to their phones.” The two women reported arriving at the Argentinian hotel at 11.30am and didn’t leave until around 4pm, claiming their extended stay was because they hadnt been paid. Alarmingly, Liam’s death was logged by the authorities at 5.07pm, just over an hour later.
Meanwhile, a purported pal of Kate has disclosed her supposed response to The New York Post, saying: “She just has heard about the prostitutes. She knew nothing about that. She just said she has to wrap her mind around it.”
The source added: “That’s obviously a huge betrayal to her, and that hurts a lot. She hasn’t stopped crying. She’s devastated. She’s got a good support system around her, but this just went from bad to worse. She’s not OK.”
They went on: “She has a few people around her, including family members. She’s not alone. She’s responsive to me and our other friends. We’ll all help her however we can.”
Newly adopted dog
Mere weeks before he died, Liam and Kate jointly fostered a dog from an animal shelter. Just one month before Liam’s fatal fall, he and Kate welcomed home Nala, a sweet pooch they wanted to give ‘a second chance’.
Updating fans at the time, Liam revealed: “I really love her. She is so cute. She is a tiny new member of the family for a while. We’re going to foster her for a while and get her really nice for a loving family I think. But we might be the nice family.”
Kate added: “We did a meet and greet with three different dogs and this one fit us best. She’s so sweet. She’s only four months old. She was abandoned by her previous owners and dumped at the shelter. We wanted to give her a second chance and a better life.”
Liam was also the proud owner of another dog called Stan, who he welcomed back in February. Sharing the news at the time via Facebook, animal lover Liam posted: “Welcome to the family, Stanley! Our hearts are bigger with you in it.”
This week, photographs emerged of heartbroken Kate out buying some dog food in what was one of the first sightings of the influencer since Liam’s death.
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