Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy is overcome with “immense guilt” for leaving Argentina just two days before the One Direction alum died after falling from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room.
The 25-year-old New Jersey native “is still in a state of shock” following the singer’s fatal plunge from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Oct. 16, a source told Us Weekly.
“This past week has been a nightmare for her,” the insider said. “It hasn’t hit her yet. Kate and Liam had a strong relationship and she feels immense guilt leaving Argentina early and leaving him alone.”
While the couple, who began dating in 2022, “had been rocky in the past … they were in a good place during their vacation in Argentina,” which began two weeks prior.
Though Cassidy was “ready to go,” the source maintains she and Payne were doing well together and he “did not want” her to leave.
Payne, 31, suffered multiple traumatic injuries resulting in internal and external bleeding after officials say he “jumped from the balcony of his room” at the CasaSur Hotel.
The tragedy occurred just minutes after a receptionist called 911 asking for help related to a guest who was “trashing” his room while “high on drugs” and was believed to be at risk, given the balcony.
Payne had multiple controlled substances in his system at the time of his death, including cocaine, benzodiazepine, crack and a cocktail of drugs known as “pink cocaine,” according to a toxicology report.
Authorities previously believed Payne had ingested “cristal,” a street drug they said can cause psychotic attacks, hallucinations and erratic behavior.
Local authorities on Wednesday raided the hotel as part of an investigation into Payne’s death, specifically looking into which employees were working the day he died. Sources within the prosecutors’ office previously said there appeared to be “evidence that a hotel employee sourced the drugs for Payne.”
Earlier this week, Cassidy posted a heartbreaking tribute to Payne, in which she revealed he recently made clear his plans to marry her.
