Chris Cornell's daughter calls out TMZ over 'disturbing' photos of Liam Payne

Toni Cornell, the Daughter of Chris Cornell, spoke out against it TMZ after the outlet published photos of One Direction member Liam Payne following his death last week in Buenos Aires.

“Following the tragic death of Liam Payne, I feel compelled to speak out about the disgusting, shocking photos that TMZ published, including graphic images of his hotel room and his corpse,” Cornell wrote on Instagram Stories NME. “After seeing these photos, I have to reflect on my own experience when TMZ also published graphic images of my father's death. When I was 12 years old, I came across these images while scrolling through my iPad and it was traumatic beyond words and something I carry with me to this day. TMZ “Seven years later has still not decided to remove these photos from the internet and I think that is something that should be done.”

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She continued: “Although the pictures of Liam have now been removed, that doesn’t mean anything. They should never have been put up in the first place and it breaks my heart to think that his seven-year-old son, Bear, could one day come across them and suffer as much as I did.”

Chris Cornell died by suicide on May 18, 2017 at the age of 52. The singer was found dead in his hotel room at the MGM Grand Detroit after seeing a Soundgarden show at the Fox Theater in Detroit earlier that evening.

Cheryl Cole, Payne's former partner and mother of his son, also criticized the media coverage of Payne's death, calling it “abhorrent.”

“Liam wasn't just a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son,” she wrote on Instagram. “A son who now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again. What concerns me most is the fact that Bear will one day have access to the vile reports and media exploitation we have seen over the last two days. It breaks my heart even more that I won’t be able to protect him from this in the future.”

She added: “I ask you to consider what benefit some of these reports have, other than causing further harm to those left behind picking up the pieces.” Before you leave comments or create videos, ask yourself You'll want your own child or family to read these. Please give Liam what little dignity he has left after his death so he can finally rest in peace.”

Payne, 31, died on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Argentina. His death shocked the music world, leaving celebrities and One Direction fans in mourning. All of One Direction's surviving members expressed their own tributes to Payne the next day, with the band also issuing a joint statement.

“The memories we shared with him will be remembered forever,” the band said. “At the moment our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam.”

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