Kate Cassidy Shares Heartbreaking Account of Learning About Liam Payne’s Death

Kate Cassidy is speaking candidly about the moment she received the devastating news of her boyfriend Liam Payne’s passing.

The 26-year-old influencer delved into her grieving process on a recent episode of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast.

Cassidy recounted that she learned of his death while at home in Florida, in the house she shared with the former One Direction member. She received a phone call from one of the singer’s friends.

“He called and asked, ‘Is Liam okay? I heard he fell from a balcony,'” Cassidy remembered, explaining that she initially dismissed it as a rumour, especially since her friend didn’t indicate the fall was fatal.

Fearing Payne might have sustained a broken rib, Cassidy began making calls.

The influencer described how she started to panic when no one answered their phones. She recalled feeling “a little bit panicky” and calling the friend back to check for updates.

“He said, ‘The only update I’ve heard is that Liam’s… dead.’ At that point, I still couldn’t believe it. It seemed impossible, but a small part of me wondered why someone would fabricate such a thing?”

Cassidy described how she started to sweat, fidget, and pace around the house as she received an overwhelming number of calls and messages from friends, family, and acquaintances.

Eventually, the initial caller contacted her again to confirm that “Liam’s not here anymore” after a fatal fall.

“I still didn’t really believe it. I just kept saying, ‘No, no, no. Are you sure? He probably just … broke a bone. He broke a rib. He broke something,'” Cassidy continued on the podcast. After accepting the tragic reality of her boyfriend’s death, she said she “lost it” and broke down.

Her housekeeper—who had left earlier that day—returned to comfort Cassidy.

“She entered the garage code, rushed into the house, and just collapsed to the ground, hugging me and saying, ‘I am so sorry,'” she remembered, noting that her housekeeper had seen the news upon returning home and immediately came back to the house.

“It was just the two of us, and she was incredibly comforting, bringing me water and tissues.”

Cassidy added that she had never experienced such a profound loss or even attended a funeral before her boyfriend’s. “It’s just unbelievable,” she stated.

“When I was trying on my funeral dress, I remember looking in the mirror and just bursting into tears. I thought, ‘I was supposed to be trying on my wedding dress.’ I shouldn’t be wearing a black dress. I should be wearing a white dress, and Liam should be here with me.”

Cassidy and Payne were together for approximately two years before his death from a fall at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires in October 2024.