Liam Payne death pictures taken down by TMZ after widespread backlash

The American gossip website received widespread backlash and condemnation from readers over the decision to post the graphic image

TMZ has taken down pictures it posted of Liam Payne’s dead body after he fell from his hotel balcony in Argentina yesterday.

The American gossip website received widespread backlash and condemnation from readers over the decision to post the graphic image.

The original post read: "TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam's body on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby."

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Adding further details, they said, "We're not showing the whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoo - a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen."

The website later opted to take the photo down, but leave up a picture of the scene with a red tent now around the deceased singer’s body.

They edited their article to state: "TMZ has seen a photo showing Liam's body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby. You can clearly see his tattoos - a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen - which helped us confirm early reports from witnesses".

The 31-year-old One Direction star died on Wednesday (the 16th of October) after plunging from the balcony of his room on the third floor of the CasaSur Palmero hotel in Buenos Aires.

Alberto Crescenti, the head of the state emergency medical system, confirmed the pop star fell into an internal courtyard at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, and suffered catastrophic head injuries.

"Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo,” Buenos Aires police said in a statement.

Authorities say they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

Fans of the 31-year-old star have been gathering at the site of the hotel to mourn the loss, singing songs from Liam's years with One Direction as well as his solo work.

Placing flowers and candles, large crowds have remained in the hours following his passing to share their grief.

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