Liam Payne Fans Slam Media Outlet for Publishing 'Beyond Vile' Photos After His Death

Fans of the late Liam Payne , a former member of the globally revered boyband One Direction who died after falling from a hotel balcony earlier today , Oct. 16, are tearing into TMZ after the publication shared photos of his body while announcing his death.

Parade has chosen not to link to the photos out of respect for Payne and his family, but the outlet shared a close-up look at the tattoos on his arm and abdomen as he lay on the ground after his fall to prove his identity.

SIGN UP for Parade's Trending News newsletter & we'll keep you in the know on the viral pop culture moments & celebrity news everyone is talking about

Many were disgusted by the move and took to X to express their disdain. "so insane and truly unhinged that tmz ran photos," one person wrote , while another agreed that it was "f----d up beyond belief!!"

"That makes me sick," another wrote . "That's a person that tragically died...he has a family."

Someone else called it a "grim era in journalism" where somebody elected to "post photos of a person" after they died, which Payne's 7-year-old son will almost certainly "stumble across" someday.

"Delete the images of the accident. It's something mega disrespectful to his family," another person replied to TMZ when they shared the article link on the social media platform.

"you should be ashamed for sharing pictures of his body," someone else scolded . "this is beyond vile. take this down."

Many also attempted to warn others of the contents of the article by blasting trigger warnings across X, as the publication also failed to publish a disclaimer about the sensitive imagery they included.

Payne was just 31 years old when he reportedly fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires. At this time, the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.

Editor's note: The outlet has since removed the photos in question.

Next: 'American Pickers' Star Frank Fritz's Cause of Death Officially Confirmed