Influencer Kate Cassidy is honoring what would have been have been the late Liam Payne’s 33rd birthday two years after his sudden and shocking death.
“It’s August 29, which is a very special someone’s birthday,” Cassidy, 27, began a TikTok video shared Saturday, August 29, as she placed Bischoff cookies atop a single-layer cake. “This will now be Year 2 of Liam not being here physically to celebrate his birthday.”
She continued, “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. I’m never gonna stop talking about him. He was a huge part of my life.”
Payne dated Cassidy from 2022 until his untimely 2024 death. The former One Direction singer suffered a fatal fall from the third-story balcony of a hotel at the age of 31 while under the influence. Payne’s cause of death was later attributed to severe internal and external injuries, with traces of alcohol and various drugs found in his system.
In addition to Cassidy, Payne is survived by his parents, his two older sisters and his 9-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with ex Cheryl Cole.
For Cassidy, she honored Payne’s heavenly birthday by purchasing a white cake topped with sprinkles.
“He made me grow into the person that I am today. Bischoffs were, like, his favorite cookie ever,” she said of her decision to add biscuits to the cake. “I used to make him little Bischoff cupcakes all the time.”
The content creator added, “For those of you who don’t know Liam, let me tell you, he was the most funniest, most handsome, smart [and] most kind soul that you’ll probably meet in your life.”
@kateecass happy birthday Liam❤️
According to Cassidy, she remembers how “simple” Payne always was despite his mega-celebrity status and world-renowned career.
“On Liam’s last birthday two years ago, we went bowling and we had cake in bed,” Cassidy recalled, while lighting a birthday candle on the cake. “It was just a simple morning.”
Before blowing out a candle, Cassidy offered a message to Payne himself.
One Direction alum Liam Payne had been dating influencer Kate Cassidy for two years before he died at age 31 in October 2024. Payne and Cassidy were first linked in October 2022, and Cassidy posted the singer on her Instagram page just one month before Us Weekly confirmed news of his death on October 16. […]
“Happy birthday, Liam, I hope you are celebrating in heaven today,” she wished. “Just know that you are so loved down here.”
Payne’s family, meanwhile, enjoyed their own celebration across the pond in the late singer’s native England.
“Celebrating your birthday for the second year without you will never feel right,” Payne’s sister Nicola wrote via Instagram. “We do it the best way we know how with a little bowling, just like we did for your last birthday. I hate how much you’re missing out on and how life has had to carry on without you here. It still doesn’t feel fair, and I don’t think it ever will. We miss you more than words could ever say.”