Liam Payne's Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Honors Late Singer on Birthday
Liam Payne's Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Explains Why She's Removing Tattoo Tributes to Him
Kate Cassidy will never stop celebrating Liam Payne.
Nearly two years after the One Direction member’s death, the influencer honored her late boyfriend on what would have been his 33rd birthday.
“Your birthday will always be your day,” Cassidy wrote in an Aug. 29 Instagram post alongside a carousel of sweet photos of herself and Payne, “loving you, remembering you, missing you always. happy birthday Liam.”
And the 27-year-old made sure Payne—who died in October 2024 at the age of 31—still had someone blowing out candles in his honor on his special day.
Indeed, Cassidy shared a TikTok video of herself reflecting on her bond with the late singer as she got his birthday cake ready.
“This would now be year two of Liam not being here to physically celebrate his birthday,” she explained in an Aug. 29 post. “Someone once said, when a person dies, they die twice. So they die the first time, and then the second time when you stop talking about them.”
As Cassidy emphasized, “I'm never gonna stop talking about him.”
“He was a huge part of my life,” she added, “and he made me grow into the person that I am today.”
And while the “For You” artist was a notable public figure, Cassidy shared that there was much more to him than what met the eye.
“For those of you who don't know Liam, let me tell you,” she said. “He was the most funniest, most handsome, smart, most kind soul that you'll probably ever meet in your life.”
“I think there's a stigma around celebrities that they're so extra,” she added. “But Liam was so simple.”
Karwai Tang/WireImage
As Cassidy noted, on Payne’s last birthday before his death, the couple—who began dating in 2022—celebrated the occasion by going bowling and having cake in bed.
After lighting a candle on the white and rainbow sprinkle-covered cake, and adding a handful of Payne’s “favorite” Biscoff cookies, Cassidy sent her late boyfriend a message, before blowing out the candle.
“Happy birthday, Liam. I hope you are celebrating in heaven today,” she shared, “and just know that you are so loved down here.”
In October 2024, Cassidy was vacationing with Payne in Argentina before the musician fell to his death at the hotel.
Since his passing, she’s been open about navigating her grief and keeping Payne’s memory alive.
“You don’t move on from grief,” Cassidy wrote on TikTok in February. “You move forward with it, carrying love in a different form. Keep living. Keep going. Live your life as fully as you possibly can.”
Read on for a look back at Cassidy and Payne’s romance…
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
Sealed with a Kiss
Prior to Liam Payne's tragic passing at the age of 31, the One Direction alum had been dating Kate Cassidy for two years.
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
Snowed In
But the truth is Kate—a self-identified Directioner—had been manifesting their relationship since she was only 10 years old, she previously revealed.
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
Happy Family
During their relationship, the pair enjoyed being dog parents to Kate's pup Nala. In fact, Liam once joked about his many "random" nicknames for their pet, laughing that "none of them have to do with Nala.”
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
Adventuring
The couple also often documented their trips around the world and had been together in Argentina in the weeks leading up to Liam's death in Buenos Aires.
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
Happiest Together
Two days after Liam's death, Kate—who had left Argentina prior to her boyfriend’s fatal fall—shared her heartbreak over his passing, noting "nothing about the past few days have felt real."
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
The Man Behind The Fame
Kate continued of her late love, "I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam."
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
Her Forever Partner
In an additional heartbreaking tribute, shared just one week after the “For You” singer’s death, Kate reflected on how he will always be with her.
"Liam, I know we’ll be together forever, but not in the way we had planned," she wrote. "You’ll always be with me. I’ve gained a guardian angel. I will love you for the rest of my life and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with me everywhere I go."
Instagram/Kate Cassidy
Lasting Love
Within the tribute, the 25-year-old also shared that that she and Liam had looking toward their future and he had written about his plans to marry her.
"A few weeks ago, we sat outside on a beautiful evening manifesting our lives together," Kate wrote. "I keep your note close, even though you told me not to look at it. It said, 'Me and Kate to marry within a year/engaged & together forever 444.'"
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