Chris Cornell’s daughter slams media over Liam Payne’s graphic images, recalls her dad’s death coverage

Toni Cornell recalled her traumatic experience after losing her father in 2017 and the media publishing graphic images of her father's death
PUBLISHED OCT 21, 2024
Chris Cornell's daughter Toni Cornell blasted the media for publishing graphic images of Liam Payne's body (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Getty Images)
Chris Cornell's daughter Toni Cornell blasted the media for publishing graphic images of Liam Payne's body (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Chris Cornell's daughter, Toni Cornell, ripped TMZ for their coverage of Liam Payne’s tragic death where they revealed pictures of his body. 

The former One Direction singer tragically died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16, according to Billboard.

Toni Cornell rips TMZ for publishing Liam Payne's death images

Toni Cornell took to her Instagram Stories to slam TMZ for publishing graphic images of Liam Payne's body and his hotel room after the tragic incident took place.

She also recalled her traumatic experience after losing her father, Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell, in 2017 and how TMZ had also published graphic images of her father’s death that ended up affecting her as a 12-year-old.



 

Toni wrote, "Having seen those photos, I can’t help but reflect on my own experience when graphic images of my father’s death were also published by TMZ."

She added, "As a 12-year-old, I stumbled upon those pictures while scrolling through my iPad, and it was indescribably traumatizing, and something I still carry with me to this day."


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Toni (@tonicornell)


 

She continued, "TMZ still has not chosen to have the decency, seven years later, to remove those photos from the internet, and it is something I believe should be done."

Toni went on to say that despite TMZ removing the graphic pictures related to Payne's death, they should have not posted it in the first place. She added, "It breaks my heart to think that his 7-year-old son, Bear, might one day come across them and suffer exactly as I did."

"It is still shocking to me that the privacy of human beings and their families fail to be respected by the public and the media, especially in times of human loss, choosing sensationalism over basic human decency. This isn't how an artist or a father should be remembered."

"I'm sending so much love and support to Liam's family and loved ones during this incredibly painful time. Rest in peace, Liam," she concluded.

Chris Cornell was found dead in his Detroit hotel room on May 18, 2017 following a Soundgarden show at the Fox Theatre earlier that night.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Toni (@tonicornell)


 

Source claims Liam Payne 'could have been saved' if ambulance was called earlier

An insider revealed that Liam Payne "could have been saved" if only an ambulance had been called earlier on the day the One Direction star fell to his death.

The source informed Daily Mail and claimed that Liam collapsed earlier on October 16 in the hotel lobby, but instead of immediately calling an ambulance he was brought back to his room.

(Karwai Tang/WireImage)
On October 16, Liam Payne had collapsed earlier in the hotel lobby and was taken back to his room instead of an ambulance being called (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

The insider said, "Liam didn’t have to die. Liam didn’t want to die. He had promised us all he would never commit suicide. He was looking forward to the future."

The source also added, "If someone had called an ambulance when he collapsed in the hotel lobby instead of taking him back to his room and leaving him in there alone, in a psychotic state, he would still be with us."

Liam Payne fans shield his mourning father from paparazzi

Liam Payne's father, Geoff, was surrounded by his son's fans who blocked paparazzi with hands and backpacks as they tried to click his pictures as he arrived in Argentina after Liam's tragic death.

Geoff Payne, father of Liam Payne, visits the fan tributes for the late former One Direction member outside Casa Sur Hotel on October 18, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to the Buenos Aires police department, the 31-year-old artist fell from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Palermo on October 16th. (Photo by Marcos Brindicci/Getty Images)
Liam Payne's father, Geoff, was surrounded by his son's fans who blocked paparazzi with hands and backpacks as they tried to click his pictures (Marcos Brindicci/Getty Images)

A clip went viral on social media where Liam Payne's fans were seen blocking the paparazzi with hands and backpacks, while they tried to click pictures of Geoff Payne who was seen getting out of his taxi and into the hotel where his son had fallen to his death.

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