Chris Cornell’s daughter Toni has criticized TMZ for publishing photos of Liam Payne’s body – while reminding fans that journalists at the outlet also shared photos of her father’s remains after his death in 2017.
The 20-year-old slammed the newspaper’s decision to distribute now-deleted photos of Payne as “disgusting” – and opened up about her own exposure to “indescribably traumatizing” photos of her father, who committed suicide when she was 12.
Payne died Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hours later, TMZ shared a photo showing parts of his body, including his arm, waist and tattoos.
The daughter of Audioslave singer Cornell took to Instagram Stories over the weekend to decry the publication of the photo, along with other images showing the One Direction star’s hotel room during his final days.
“In the wake of Liam Payne’s tragic passing, I feel compelled to speak out about the disgusting, disturbing photos released by TMZ, including graphic images of his hotel room and body,” Toni wrote to her 203,000 followers.
Chris Cornell’s daughter Toni has criticized TMZ for publishing photos of Liam Payne’s body after he died, as she reflected on her own harrowing experience with the same outlet that shared graphic images of her father after he passed away in 2017.
Toni Cornell (pictured) branded the site’s decision to distribute now-deleted photos of Payne as ‘disgusting’ – and opened up about her own exposure to ‘indescribably traumatizing’ photos of her father, who committed suicide when she was 12
‘After seeing those photos, I can’t help but think about my own experience when explicit images of my father’s death were also published by TMZ.
“As a 12-year-old, I came across those photos while scrolling through my iPad, and it was indescribably traumatizing, and something I still carry with me to this day.
“7 years later, TMZ still hasn’t chosen to remove those photos from the Internet, and that’s something I think needs to happen.
‘Although the images of Liam have now been deleted, it means nothing.
“They should never have been hanged in the first place, and it breaks my heart to think that his seven-year-old son Bear would one day encounter them and suffer as I did.”
Toni then accused TMZ of choosing “sensationalism over basic human decency.”
“This is not how an artist or a father should be remembered,” she wrote. “Sending so much love and support to Liam’s family and loved ones at this incredibly painful time. Rest in peace, Liam.”
Toni’s father, who was known as the singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, died by suicide on May 18, 2017 at the age of 52.
Payne died Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hours later, TMZ shared a photo showing parts of his body, including his arm and waist. (Pictured: one of Payne’s last selfies)
The daughter of Audioslave singer Cornell took to Instagram Stories over the weekend to decry the publication of the photo, along with other images showing the One Direction star’s hotel room during his final days. (Photo: Chris Cornell with his daughter Toni in 2015)
Chris Cornell, who was known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, died by suicide on May 18, 2017 at the age of 52.
TMZ has since pulled Payne’s photo, although executive producer Michael Babcock also defended the decision to publish the photo at all.
Babcock said the image was shared in an attempt to confirm reports that the singer had died before police established his identity.
“There’s a balance, and that’s obviously a conversation that newsrooms everywhere are having – you want to be sensitive to the family and the friends and also when you’re working on a news story,” Babcock told Fox 5 New York.
‘When the information came in, the police had not yet confirmed it was Liam, so what was done on the TMZ website, there was an image – didn’t show the full image, didn’t show his face – but it showed his arm and his stomach, where he has some very recognizable tattoos, so that’s kind of used as a way to confirm the tattoos, or to match the tattoos at a point where the police hadn’t yet confirmed his identity .
“And once they did that, of course, that photo was deleted.
“I mean, it’s just a terribly horrible and sad story. It’s obviously something that shouldn’t have happened, and this man had so much life left and you feel terrible for everyone.”
The decision was widely criticized by celebrities, including former X Factor contestant Rylan Clark, who called TMZ a “disgrace,” and pop star Alesia Cara who called the outlet “gross.”
Payne died from ‘multiple injuries’, according to the post-mortem examination.
(From left) Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Niall Horan of One Direction in 2015