Liam Payne’s sister Ruth Payne Gibbons seemingly criticized his girlfriend Kate Cassidy for using social media to memorialize the late musician’s death — hours after the model shared a flurry of social media posts about their romance.
“Everyone only seems interested in the public side of this,” Ruth wrote via Instagram on Friday, acknowledging the first anniversary of the One Direction alum’s October 2024 death.
“Some sadly seem more interested in the fame they can gain off this, but on the human side people need to remember when they speak, there is a son without his Dad, parents without their child and I am lost without my brother,” she continued.
Elsewhere in the lengthy message to her beloved “little brother,” Ruth added, “I hope I get the chance to be your sister in every lifetime.” Alongside the message, Ruth included a photo of Liam in a pirate costume, and at the end of the message, a group pic with the pop star.
Cassidy, 26, took to TikTok hours earlier on Thursday to share a video of Liam attempting to lift her up while sharing a playful “last” dance in a park.
“This video was taken during the last hour and last day Liam and I shared in this lifetime,” she wrote in the social media tribute. “I am forever grateful for the beautiful moments we shared. I will miss you for the rest of my life Liam.”
Also on Thursday, she shared a thoughtful TikTok in which she appeared to be staring off into the distance. “Grief is a reminder of how lucky I am to have loved someone so much that I will endure missing them the rest of my life,” she wrote atop the video.
“❤️love u 4ever,” Cassidy added in the caption. Via Instagram, she shared a sweet photo of the couple cuddling up for a selfie. “Today marks a full year without you here. I will forever hate goodbyes. I miss you Liam.”
Liam died on Oct. 16, 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and suffering fatal injuries. He was 31.
Prior to his passing, Cassidy and Liam uploaded multiple social media posts showing them enjoying their vacation in the city capital. The influencer left Argentina solo two days before Liam’s death.
The couple was in Argentina to attend former bandmate Niall Horan’s Oct. 4, 2024 concert.
Cassidy told Page Six earlier this month that she suffered depression following Liam’s untimely death, and was “just not wanting to really live my life.”
“I was always just kind of doing nothing and just dealing with that grief and pain,” she divulged to Page Six exclusively at a special performance of “This is Crazy!” to benefit The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI.)
It took “about two months” for things to change, she told us. “I finally realized, ‘OK, like I need to live my life, I need to get up, get out of bed,’” she said.
As the anniversary of Liam’s death approached, she told us that she would try to “stay as busy as I can.”
Cassidy added, “I think that really helps my headspace.”
