TMZ defends decision after sharing photos of Liam Payne's body after tragic death

TMZ executive producer Michael Babcock has defended the news outlet's decision to publish photos online that showed Liam Payne's body immediately after he fell from a balcony

In the wake of the tragic passing of beloved singer Liam Payne, an executive producer from TMZ has offered a defence for the decision to publish photos showing the star's body moments after his 40ft fall from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

After the news of the former One Direction member's death emerged on Wednesday night, TMZ faced a barrage of criticism for circulating pictures of the accident scene, with a glimpse of Liam's lifeless form visible on a wooden deck.

The insensitivity sparked outrage among fans and celebrities alike including UK TV favourite Rylan Clark who branded it a 'disgrace'.

A shocked fan remarked: "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."

Singer Alessia Cara joined the chorus of condemnation with her straightforward tweet: "you're gross @TMZ," while another admirer couldn't hide their disbelief at TMZ's callousness: "I know we complain about TMZ a lot but they really surprise me every time at how insensitive they can be."

Nonetheless, amid such widespread disapproval, TMZ's Michael Babcock stood by the contentious choice during his appearance on Fox 5 New York on Thursday, October 17, reports the Mirror.

He commented: "There's a balance, and that's obviously a conversation that newsrooms across the world 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."

However, fans were clearly unconvinced by these explanations, with comments appearing under the video clip on YouTube. One viewer wrote: "Are they really still trying to justify putting pictures of a dead body on their website? " Another expressed their disdain, stating: "TMZ is disgraceful and disgusting and have no respect whatsoever and didn't even bother to apologise for posting those horrendous pictures"

Liam Payne, who rose to fame with boyband One Direction after appearing on The X Factor, went on to achieve huge success with the group before they split in 2016. He has since launched a solo music career, releasing his debut album LP1, and has a son with former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole.