Liam Payne's Sister Ruth Appears to Shade Singer's Girlfriend Kate Cassidy as She Accuses People of 'Using His Death for Fame' One Year After Fatal Balcony Plunge
Fans think Kate Cassidy was slammed for 'trying to profit' off the death of her boyfriend, Liam Payne.
Oct. 17 2025, Published 1:05 p.m. ET
Liam Payne's sister Ruth Gibbins seems to have snuck some snide shade into her heartfelt personal tribute to the rock star on the first anniversary of his death, RadarOnline.com can confirm.
It didn't take long for fans to deduce her comments were aimed at Liam's girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, who was recently ripped for sharing fan-made AI photos of the couple as if he were still alive.
Payne died one year ago after falling from a hotel balcony.
Payne died after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Argentina last October 16. The troubled singer had struggled with drug and alcohol abuse at the time of his tragic passing at the age of 31.
On Thursday, October 16, as family, friends, and fans all paid tribute to the One Direction singer, Cassidy, 26, shared a video of her final hour with her boyfriend. She also posted a black and white picture of the pair in bed with Payne kissing her cheek.
Not long after, Gibbins shared her own message of love – a lengthy note spread out across several Instagram slides expressing her grief and how much she misses her brother.
"For a year, I have watched people speak and draw conclusions on Liam and his death, a spectator of the most triggering interviews and comments, without any warning or heads-up that my persons death is about to once again be discussed publicly, whilst I am desperately trying to resume my normal life that doesn't fit around my grief or me anymore," she wrote.
"Whilst I am still on my knees struggling to regain balance since my world burned down and every time I try to take a step, something comes and sets fire to all the progress I thought I had made in my mind, in trying to understand where or why Liam isn't here helping me through this."
Cryptic Comment
Cassidy shared a photo of the two of them in bed together along with a special note.
The note wrapped up with a cryptic mention of unidentified people trying to take advantage of Payne's passing.
"Everyone only seems interested in the public side of this; 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."
Fans in the comment section instantly assumed she was talking about Cassidy.
"(Cassidy's) taking advantage of Liam's death to post on TikTok as the girlfriend in grief," one person slammed as another suggested, "Every time her views get low, she makes a video about Liam. She's making money off his name and off of his death."
While one poster shared: "Some people have made this their thing to gain fame from this loss, and it's so heartbreaking."
AI Invasion
Cassidy previously posted a series of AI generated photos of the two of them.
On Monday, October 13, Cassidy posted a series of photos to her Instagram Stories that had been altered to make it appear Payne was right there with her.
The singer was seen with his arms around her while smiling in an apricot-hued suit. He was even wearing the Rolex Day-Date 40 watch that the One Direction singer sported while he was alive.
The AI-generated photos showed Payne in incredibly affectionate poses while Cassidy stood relatively still, with one snap clearly the same as one she had shared four months prior.
"Thanks for making these. AI is such a blessing and a curse," she wrote under one of the Story posts, which didn't sit well with those who knew the Strip That Down hitmaker.
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'Distasteful' Display
Critics were not pleased with her post.
A former colleague called the photos "distasteful" and "unhelpful" to his family and loved ones who are trying to move on from Payne's tragic death, the Daily Mail reported.
One friend huffed to the outlet, "Who does this?" in reference to Cassidy's AI photo posts.
"Of course, she is fully entitled to remember Liam, but this all feels a bit much. It’s surely triggering for those who loved Liam," the pal continued. "There is some sympathy for Kate, but creating a photo of them together so soon after his death is completely strange and also upsetting for so many who loved Liam."
