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Toni Cornell, daughter of the late Soundgarden frontman, has criticized TMZ for its insensitive reporting on the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne.

Toni Cornell has publicly condemned TMZ for their exploitative coverage of Liam Payne‘s tragic death. Payne passed away at 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In a scathing Instagram statement, Cornell reflected on her own traumatic experience when TMZ published graphic photos of her father Chris Cornell‘s death in 2017. She noted that the images deeply affected her as a 12-year-old and that they still haunt her today.

“TMZ has not shown the decency to remove those photos seven years later,” she wrote. “They should never have been put up in the first place.”

Cornell also criticized TMZ for publishing photos of Payne’s hotel room and body. She stressed that such graphic images should never be made public, especially when it involves a deceased human being.

“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,” she said.

Cornell’s statement echoes the sentiments expressed by Liam Payne’s former partner Cheryl Cole, who also condemned the media coverage as “abhorrent.” Cole urged people to respect Payne’s memory and to give him the dignity he deserves.

TMZ eventually removed the images of Payne, but Cornell argued that this was not enough. “It means nothing,” she asserted. “They should never have been put up in the first place.”

Cornell’s comments come as the music world and fans mourn the loss of Liam Payne. The surviving members of One Direction issued a joint statement expressing their devastation over his death.

Toni Cornell’s condemnation of TMZ highlights the importance of respecting the privacy of the deceased and their families, particularly during times of human loss.