Two months after his shock death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Liam Payne is being remembered by his girlfriend Kate Cassidy. In one of her first social posts following Payne’s passing, Cassidy posted a TikTok video on Sunday (Dec. 8) in which the 25-year-old influencer looked back on the couple’s love affair via a series of happy moments set to Mazzy Star’s 1993 beloved bummer “Fade Into You.”
The series of short vignettes opens with the couple chilling in a wood cabin, before turning to quick clips of them walking up marble steps hand-in-hand, slow dancing in a room with stars projected on the ceiling and a playful bit where a laughing Payne drags Cassidy around the kitchen floor by her ankles.
Elsewhere they go bowling, Cassidy assures the singer that he looks “stunning,” they play with their dog, share snacks on dates, visit Disneyland, celebrate New Year’s Eve, snuggle in bed and goof around on a toboggan. The melancholy video captures intimate moments where Payne and Cassidy are traveling the world, hugging, building Lego sets and, in the final image, sharing a kiss and a laugh. “I love you,” Cassidy captioned the post.
Cassidy — who dated the former One Direction singer for two years — had been traveling with Payne in Argentina in the time leading up to his death. The singer died on Oct. 16 after falling from the third floor balcony of a luxury hotel in Buenos Aires.
A few days later, Cassidy addressed his passing in an Instagram Story, where she thanked her followers for “all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way.” She added, “I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real. I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.” She also addressed Payne directly, writing, “Liam, my angel. You are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely.”
A week later, Cassidy posted another message to Payne, writing, “My heart is shattered in ways I can’t put into words. I wish you could see the huge impact you’ve had on the world, even as it feels so dark right now. You are — because I can’t say were — my best friend, the love of my life, and everyone you touched felt just as special as I did,” Cassidy continued. “None of this feels real, and I can’t wrap my head around this new reality of not having you here. I’m struggling to figure out how to live in a world without you by my side. Together, we got to be kids again, always finding joy in the smallest things.”
She also shared a note Payne wrote just weeks earlier in which he said he hoped to marry her within the year. Payne was laid to rest on Nov. 20 in south-east England in a private funeral attended by family and friends, including his 1D bandmates – Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan – as well as The X Factor‘s Simon Cowell, former late night host James Corden and Cassidy.
Payne’s autopsy confirmed that he suffered internal and external bleeding and multiple traumatic injuries from his fall. According to a translated copy of the toxicology report, in the days leading up to his death, Payne reportedly had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system.
