TMZ's biggest scandals as Liam Payne fans outraged by 'disgusting' dead body photos

When the world learned of's tragic death, American news outlet TMZ were quick to publish 'disrespectful' photographs.

The former star plunged 40ft to his death from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A body was found in an internal patio of the Casa Sur Palermo hotel shortly after 5pm local time. It's believed Liam .

Celebrity news website TMZ instantly published photos online that showed the star's lifeless body. Fans were furious with the outlet, with British TV presenter Rylan Clark taking to X, formerly , to write: "TMZ f**king shame on you. Disgrace." Another user said: "TMZ posting part of a photo of Liam Payne's dead body in an article announcing his death is beyond deplorable. I can't tell if I'm losing my mind lately or if society has always been this overtly morally decrepit."

It's not the only time the publication has found itself in hot water, as since its launch, it has faced widespread criticism, particularly for its use of paparazzi pictures. But it has also been responsible for some of the biggest breaking celebrity scoops and scandals, from announcing the death of Michael Jackson to leaking the footage of Solange Knowles attacking her brother-in-law .

They pride themselves on having sources all over the city of Los Angeles, however on multiple occasions their journalism has backfired. The takes a look at TMZ's scandals over the years - from fake news to a campaign to remove a graphic clip...

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Liam Payne's death

TMZ faced immense backlash following its decision to publish pictures of Liam's body. Singer Alessia Cara wrote: "You're gross @TMZ,” and another fan commented: "I know we complain about TMZ a lot but they really surprise me every time at how insensitive they can be."

However, despite the criticism, defended the decision to use the images while appearing on Fox 5 New York. He said: "There's a balance, and that's obviously a conversation that newsrooms across the have – you want to be sensitive to the family and to the friends and also while working a news story.

"When the information was coming in, police had not yet confirmed that it was Liam, so what was done on the TMZ website, there was an image – did not show the full image, didn't show his face – but that showed his arm and his abdomen, where he has some very recognisable tattoos, so that's sort of used as a way to confirm, or to match up the tattoos at a point where police had not yet confirmed his identity. And then, once they did, obviously, that photo was removed.

"I mean, it's just a terribly horrific and sad story. It's something obviously that shouldn't have happened, and this guy had so much life left to live and you feel horrible for everybody."

Fans were, however, unmoved by the justification, with one writing in the YouTube comments of the video clip: "Are they really still trying to justify putting pictures of a dead body on their website?"

"TMZ is disgraceful and disgusting and have no respect whatsoever and didn’t even bother to apologise for posting those horrendous pictures!!! Will never watch them again!!" another said.

'Insensitive' suicide reports

Following the suicide of Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington in July 2017, TMZ reported details about the star that his widow, Talinda, had previously requested be redacted from the Los Angeles County Coroner's report.

The widow criticised both the publication and the coroner's office for disclosing the information, which saw tweets go viral with her "#F**kyouTMZ hashtag.

A year later, TMZ was also criticised for reporting details about the suicide of Swedish DJ Avicii, who died in April 2018. Their graphic headline, which The Mirror has chosen not to repeat, received immense backlash, with many saying it went against journalistic guidelines.

Andre Lowe video

A Change.org petition calling for TMZ to remove footage of a clubber being shot dead outside a Hollywood nightspot prompted 25 companies to pull advertising. Following the backlash, TMZ finally removed the clip from its website.

The two-minute video showed Andre Lowe in a brawl before being shot dead on January 16, 2013. A nearby reporter filmed the attack and shared the footage without the permission of Andre's family. It wasn't until January 22 that the video was taken down.

Andre's uncle Jeremy Andrews told the "TMZ's sensationalist coverage of a regular teenager's tragic murder added salt to the wound for our family. At the same time, we appreciate the support that has poured in from people across the country. While we're disappointed that TMZ ever made the decision to post this video and we still believe TMZ owes our family an apology for the pain they cause us, we're glad to see that the video has been edited due to the pressure from our petition on Change.org."

Kobe Bryant leak

TMZ were the first to report the shocking death of Kobe Bryant on January 26, 2020. But in doing so, they received huge criticism from the police, in particular Sheriff Alex Villanueva of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, as they broke the story before his next of kin had even been informed. They also leaked photographs of the crash site.

Fake news

There have been several instances where TMZ has been accused of publishing false stories, and one notable "screw-up" was with a so-called 'exclusive' picture of John F. Kennedy in 2009. TMZ claimed a man on a ship with several naked women was the former president, saying it could have "changed history" had it come out earlier during his campaign.

A Photoshop expert claimed the snap was "authentic" however it was later found to not be Mr Kennedy. Playboy representatives confirmed that the image was taken from a November 1967 photoshoot, with a correction.