Part of the reason pop star Liam Payne’s tragic death was so shocking was because seemingly there weren’t any warning signs. A story posted to Snapchat earlier in the day seemed to indicate that everything was perfectly normal, and yet a mere hour later the former One Direction member had passed away.
The post, which has been shared to other social media platforms such as X, shows the singer sitting at a table with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. In the video Payne is heard saying “it’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” while Cassidy claims they’ve been sleeping in until 12pm everyday. It seems like a pretty normal clip, there are no signs that anything is wrong at all. Another snap shows a seating area and lush green trees in the back along with the caption, “happy to get some time away.”
Fans expressed their shock at Payne’s sudden death, with many noting just how quickly things can turn around.
i feel like most of us are so shocked over liam payne's death cause that man once was part of something our 13 year old selfs could never imagine living without. like why am i actually speechless right now. it's so weird
— Overrated Boss 🇺🇸 (@Overrated_Boss) October 16, 2024
Anyone can die at any time life is not promised tomorrow, live for today 🥺💔💔
— Narendra Modi 🧢 Prime minister of India (Parody) (@NarendramodiPa) October 16, 2024
Many claimed that his eyes looked sad in the video and that his mood seemed dark, perhaps indicating that he wasn’t doing well.
his eyes were literally screaming that he wasn't okay😰
— Rebecca Gormley 👼 (@becca_gorlmey) October 16, 2024
But others were a bit more skeptical. None of this lines up with the tragic events that supposedly happened a short while later, and fans have been left scratching their heads over how quickly things seemed to change — we know he was behaving erratically for quite some time before his death. His behavior seems normal in the video and what’s more, he seems happy, it looks like he was genuinely enjoying his time in Argentina. So what went wrong?
I'm assuming he had his posts maybe scheduled to post because there's already photos of police tents and stuff up at the scene. So if it was an hour ago that would be crazy fast.
— Adrian Sloan 🇺🇸 (@diversedesigns_) October 16, 2024
Did Liam really make those posts just before his death?
Now, while it’s certainly possible that things could have spiraled within an hour, it’s more likely that these were scheduled posts. One user pointed out that there were already police tents up within that hour, so it would be almost impossible that Liam could make those posts.
Of course, the biggest piece of evidence that confirms the videos were pre-recorded is the fact that Katie Cassidy filmed herself returning to Florida a couple of days before the incident. That means the Snapchat posts weren’t even filmed on the same day, as it would be impossible for Katie to appear in the clip.
Even though the posts weren’t filmed on the same day he passed away, the contrast between the mood a few days before is night and day. How did Liam seem so carefree and relaxed back then? Was he masking? Were there any signs at all? What happened between then and October 16th to cause such a dramatic spiral? Liam’s story serves as a tragic example of why it’s important never to make assumptions when it comes to mental health.
