{"id":105574,"date":"2025-08-30T01:00:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T01:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/105574\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T01:00:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T01:00:07","slug":"liam-paynes-girlfriend-honors-late-one-direction-singer-on-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/105574\/","title":{"rendered":"Liam Payne’s girlfriend honors late One Direction singer on birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liam Payne<\/a>‘s girlfriend Kate Cassidy is paying tribute to the late One Direction<\/a> singer on what would have been his 32nd birthday.<\/p>\n

“My dearest Liam, it breaks my heart being that I can’t hand you a physical birthday card today,” she wrote in a poignant Instagram<\/a> post on Thursday. “That I can’t hear your laugh, or tell you all the things I wish I’d said a thousand more times.”<\/p>\n

Alongside her message, the 26-year-old influencer shared a series of photos of the pair throughout their two-year relationship, including snapshots of the couple riding in a swan boat and getting donuts together.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Liam Payne in London in December 2022.<\/p>\n

Karwai Tang\/WireImage<\/p>\n

“I’ve been struggling to find the right words, but I’ll start with the most obvious: Happy Birthday,” Cassidy wrote. “Today, you would have been 32. In your 31 years here on this earth, you brought so much joy, happiness, and hope to so many \u2014 especially to me. I hope you know how brightly you still shine, even from up there.”<\/p>\n

She also said she wished that they’d gotten more time together. “I would give up years of my life just to give you a few more,” Cassidy continued. “I miss making memories with you. I miss having things to look forward to together.”<\/p>\n

Cassidy added that her birthday present to Payne this year was her “strength” to carry on after his passing.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

“I promise you I will celebrate you extra today, honor your life, and cherish the beautiful times we’ve had,” she concluded. “August 29th will be a date that sits in my heart for the rest of my life. I love you so much. Yours, Katelyn.”<\/p>\n

Payne died unexpectedly last October<\/a> after falling from a three-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in Argentina. He was 31.\n<\/p>\n

After his sudden passing, Payne’s fellow One Direction members \u2014\u00a0Louis Tomlinson<\/a>, Harry Styles<\/a>, Niall Horan<\/a>, and Zayn Malik<\/a> \u2014 paid tribute to their late bandmate in a joint statement<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

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“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” the group wrote, in part. “For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.\u00a0We will miss him terribly.\u00a0We love you, Liam.”\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Last month, fans could see Payne’s final onscreen appearance, as a guest judge<\/a> on Netflix’s reality singing competition Building the Band. In a short message before its first episode<\/a>, host AJ McLean<\/a> dedicated the series to Liam and his family.<\/p>\n

During his stint on Building the Band, Payne was instrumental in helping coach the fledgling groups, especially the two boy bands Midnight Til Morning and Soulidified. He also had an unexpectedly sweet moment on its set when Mason of Midnight Til Morning revealed that seeing One Direction in concert was what inspired him to join a boy band<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The confession seemed to take Payne by surprise. The singer thanked Mason for the kind words, and afterward he turned to guest judge Kelly Rowland and confessed, “I feel all warm!”\n<\/p>\n