TMZ has sparked outrage for publishing cropped photos of Liam Payne's body, taken after the One Direction singer fell to his death from a hotel roof in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The photos showed parts of Payne's arm and waist, which were covered in identifying tattoos. “TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam's body on a wooden terrace at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby,” the story reads. “We don't show his entire body, but you can clearly see his tattoo: a clock on his left forearm and a scorpion on his abdomen.”
The outlet also published a photo of the police tent later erected over Payne's body to protect it from photographers and prying eyes.
The decision to publish the photos sparked fierce condemnation on social media. Rylan Clark, BBC presenter and TV personality, wrote: “TMZ shame on you. Disgrace,” on
TMZ and its founder Harvey Levin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But the site appeared to reconsider the decision. The photos subsequently disappeared from the post, with the copy changed to read: “TMZ has seen photo showing Liam's body.”
While TMZ is known for pushing journalistic ethical boundaries in getting its traffic-friendly scoops, publishing celebrity photos is a line that even it doesn't typically cross.
The latest significant celebrity death controversy came with news of the 2020 helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, as well as seven others.
TMZ was first to report the tragedy, publishing the story less than two hours after the crash. Law enforcement criticized TMZ for reporting the incident before the medical examiner's office could confirm the victims' identities and notify their families. Levin later claimed that TMZ had gotten approval from “Kobe people” to publish the story.
“We were told very clearly that she had been notified,” Levin said, referring to Bryant's widow, Vanessa. (He went on to file a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which was settled for $29 million in 2023, over photos taken at the crash site.)
The publication of celebrity death photos remains an extremely rare occurrence in mainstream media, but it has precedent. In 1994, the Seattle Times published a photo of Kurt Cobain's body after the Nirvana frontman's suicide.
After a huge outcry, the newspaper published an editorial defending the decision.
“The Times rarely publishes photos of dead bodies, so it's no surprise that many readers were deeply offended when they saw our photo on the front page the day after the 27-year-old musician was found dead in his Madrona home. The photo, taken through a window, shows his right leg, right forearm and hand. A police officer is kneeling next to the body and taking notes. A cigar box and some personal effects are on the floor, next to the body,” the newspaper wrote he wrote.
“Although no blood is visible, the image invites the imagination to lean in, look around the corner and see the full horror of what Cobain had done to himself with a shotgun. Without being gory, the photo is compelling. For many readers it is also tasteless, intrusive, insensitive and gratuitous tabloid journalism,” he continued. The newspaper published a sample of the angry letters it had received about the editorial decision in the same edition.
Since Princess Diana's fatal accident in 1997 was the result of paparazzi escape, photos from the scene were particularly sensitive, and an unofficial media blackout was immediately put in place.
But the photos finally surfaced in 2004, when CBS 48 hours images were broadcast of Diana, crouching on the back floor of her limousine with no visible injuries.
Buckingham Palace, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Diana's brother all condemned the action. CBS defended the decision, saying the photos were shared as part of “a review of the medical care given to Princess Diana immediately following the accident.”