Now, Cassidy has issued a lengthy tribute to the late One Direction singer, whom she began dating in October 2022 after they met at a bar in South Carolina.
Uploading a string of photos of the couple on Instagram, Cassidy also shared a heartfelt note Payne wrote her in the weeks before he died, which detailed his promise to marry her within the upcoming year.
“Me and Kate to marry within a year / engaged and together forever,” the handwritten letter read.
Kate Cassidy posts a tribute to her late partner Liam Payne on Instagram, sharing a photo of a note Payne wrote to her just weeks ago. Photo / @kateecass
In her statement, Cassidy shared how Payne, who was 31, was her “best friend” and “the love of my life.”
“I don’t even know where to begin. My heart is shattered in ways I can’t put into words,” Cassidy began.
“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.”
Cassidy and Payne began dating in October 2022.
Payne and Cassidy recently moved in together in a new home in Miami, Florida.
The pair travelled to Argentina on holiday late September, with the intention of staying just five days to see Payne’s former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan play a concert in Buenos Aires October 2.
Just two days after Cassidy left, Payne died after falling from the third floor balcony of his room at the CasaSur Hotel in Palermo. A toxicology report showed the UK singer had a cocktail of drugs in his system, including cocaine, crack and benzodiazepine.
Cassidy continued in her statement: “A few weeks ago, we sat outside on a beautiful evening manifesting our lives together. I keep your note close, even though you told me not to look at it.
“Liam, I know we’ll be together forever, but not in the way we had planned. You’ll always be with me – I’ve gained a guardian angel.
“I will love you for the rest of my life and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with me everywhere I go.”
A full autopsy of Payne’s body is still being completed in Argentina.
Argentine news outlet La Nación reported two 25-year-old prostitutes admitted to drinking alcohol with Payne in his hotel room.
The women, whose identities were not disclosed, spoke with lead prosecutor Marcelo Roma under oath and shared they were invited to the CasaSur Palermo Hotel after being called via an escort service.
Payne and his girlfriend had recently moved in together in a new home in Florida. Photo / @kateecass
They reportedly arrived at the hotel at around 11.30am and spent a few hours drinking with the pop star. The sex workers allege, however, that they did not do drugs with Payne and he seemed “normal” to them.
Per the report, the prostitutes did not leave the hotel until 4pm because they were arguing with the Night Changes singer over him allegedly not wanting to pay them.
A fellow hotel guest named Michael Fleischmann claimed he witnessed the “tense” fight over money.
The American tourist told the Buenos Aires Herald he overheard Payne say: “I’ll give you $20,000 just because I can. I have $55 million, and I like to help people”.
One of Cassidy’s friends, speaking to The Post anonymously, shared she was “devastated” about the development.
“She just has heard about the prostitutes,” a friend told The Post last Friday.
“She knew nothing about that. She just said she has to wrap her mind around it.”
Payne’s father Geoff Payne arrived in Buenos Aires last week to formally identify his son’s body. It’s understood it could take another week for examiners to complete the autopsy, after which Payne’s body can be returned home to the UK.
