TMZ defends publishing Liam Payne dead body photos after balcony fall

The US media and gossip site sparked a fury when it published pictures of Liam's partial dead body on Wednesday, in the house of his death.

TMZ has spoken out over its controversial decision to publish photos of Liam Payne's dead body. The US media and gossip site sparked a fury when it published pictures of Liam's partial dead body on Wednesday, in the house of his death.

Liam, the ITV The X Factor star who hails from Wolverhampton, died following a fall from the third floor of a balcony in Buenos Aires in Argentina. TMZ executive producer Michael Babcock 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 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.

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"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.”

The American publication shared pictures which showed the singer's arm, waist and tattoos to confirm reports he had died after falling from a balcony at a hotel in Argentina. An image of the police tent that was set up over Liam's body at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires was also published.

The article read: "TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam's body on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby. We're not showing the whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoo - a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen."

However, TMZ quickly deleted the photos following a furious outcry from fans and celebrities who branded it a "disgrace".