Inside Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy's 'fraught final days before tragic ultimatum'

Liam Payne spent the last few weeks of his life enjoying a sun-soaked holiday with his beloved , before he tragically fell to his death.

The couple of more than two years had been enjoying a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the former star, 31, and the 25-year-old influencer watched Liam's former bandmate, Niall Horan, perform at a concert in the South American capital.

In smiling selfies, the pair appeared to be enjoying their getaway. That was until Kate suddenly left and flew back to the US before catastrophe struck. On Wednesday, October 16, Liam was found dead at his hotel Casa Sur Palmero.

Despite reportedly being clean from drugs in his final months, Liam appeared to have relapsed, with the finding traces of "alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants" in his system. T and friends will pay their final respects at a private funeral service held at a church in the Home Counties.

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In the days before his untimely passing, there were no signs of the darkness that lay ahead. Sharing a picture of himself with Kate at the breakfast table, he captioned it: "Lovely day in Argentina [love heart emoji]." He filmed the former waitress waving to the camera, before she revealed how they "sleep in everyday until 12, we're such losers." To which Liam replied: "No" before giggling.

But Liam was then left to enjoy Argentina alone when Kate decided to fly home back to Florida. She admitted she had grown tired of their extended trip when she posted a before the incident.

She said: "I was so ready to leave. Love South America, but I hate staying in one place for too long and we were supposed to be there for five days, turned into two weeks and I was just like, 'I need to go home.'" Liam instead chose to stick around at the hotel and around 48 hours later, he was found dead.

It was later reported that Kate allegedly gave him an ultimatum before she left - stop taking drugs or lose her. Speaking to the , the source, who is reportedly a friend, said: "His drug use was causing a lot of drama. So she gave him an ultimatum: her or the drugs. She thought she was doing tough love."

It was a relatively new relationship for Liam, who began dating Kate in 2022. They were first pictured wearing Halloween costumes, with Kate dressed as Pamela Anderson, while Payne, sporting a white tank top, went as her ex-husband Tommy Lee. Two months later, they made their official debut at the British Fashion Awards in London on the red carpet.

Kate claimed to have 'manifested' her romance with the star when she was just 10 years old. In a clip shared to her TikTok in November 2023, she began: "I am the best manifester, and I'm going to show you why."

She revealed she had drawn an image of the pop singer onto a "popsicle stick", adding: "And somehow 10 years later." She filmed herself opening the door to her childhood bedroom, where the real-life Liam was sat on her bed.

Smiling for the camera together, she joked: "Be careful what you wish for!" More recently, Kate gave an insight into her holiday with Liam with her 250,000 followers on . Posting a picture of the two horse riding, she wrote: "I am very grateful for the simple things in life."

In another snap, the couple were seen posing for a selfie, which she captioned: "Quality time." Following her boyfriend's death, Kate shared several heartbreaking tributes.

In one, she revealed that Liam had intended to marry her, making his wishes clear in a note he wrote shortly before his tragic death. Taking to , Kate opened up about the romantic message Liam had told her not to read, that he'd penned during an evening spent manifesting the futures they'd hoped for. Sadly, these dreams were cut devastatingly short.

Kate wrote: "A few weeks ago, we sat outside on a beautiful evening manifesting our lives together. 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'. Liam, I know we'll be together forever, but not in the way we had planned. You'll always be with me. I've gained a guardian angel."

She continued: "I will love you for the rest of my life and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with me everywhere I go. Forever yours, Katelyn 444." In numerology, 444 is an angel number that represents a powerful message of guidance, support, and love from angels watching over you.