CHRIS CORNELL's Daughter Slams TMZ For Sharing Photos Of LIAM PAYNE's Dead Body

SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE frontman Chris Cornell's daughter Toni has blasted TMZ for publishing a cropped image of Liam Payne's lifeless body that was included alongside the tabloid site's reporting on the ONE DIRECTION singer's death. The site later took the image down.

Late Friday night (October 18),Toni took to her Instagram Stories to write: "In the wake of Liam Payne's tragic passing, I feel compelled to speak out about the disgusting, distressing photos released by TMZ including graphic images of his hotel room and body. Having seen those photos, I can't help but reflect on my own experience when graphic images of my father's death were also published by TMZ."

She continued: "As a 12-year-old, I stumbled upon those pictures while scrolling through my iPad, and it was indescribably traumatizing, and something I still carry with me to this day. TMZ still has not chosen to have the decency, seven years later, to remove those photos from the internet, and it is something I believe should be done.

"While the images of Liam have since been taken down, it means nothing," Toni added. "They should never have been put up in the first place, and it breaks my heart to think that his 7 year old son, Bear, might one day come across them and suffer exactly as I did. It is still shocking to me that the privacy of human beings and their families fail to be respected by the public and the media, especially in times of human loss, choosing sensationalism over basic human decency. This isn't how an artist or a father should be remembered.

"I'm sending so much love and support to Liam's family and loved ones during this incredibly painful time.

"Rest in peace, Liam".

After TMZ reported on Liam's passing Wednesday, his friends and fans called out the site over the since-removed photos that purported to confirm his death via detailed close-ups of his tattoos.

Payne died at age 31 on Wednesday when he fell from the third-floor balcony of his Buenos Aires, Argentina hotel room. An autopsy on Thursday indicated he died from "multiple trauma" and "internal and external hemorrhage," and the Public Prosecutor's Office indicated there was evidence of substance abuse. La Nación reported that Hotel Casa Sur staff called police before the incident to report "an aggressive man that could’ve been under the influence of drugs or alcohol."

Cornell killed himself after a May 2017 concert in Detroit. The Wayne County medical examiner, Dr. Theodore Brown, said a resistance band was around Cornell's neck, and the other end was attached to a clip over the top of the bathroom door. The report said there were sedatives in Cornell's body along with Lorazepam, a drug for anxiety.