GB News host condemned for ‘vile’ Liam Payne comments following star’s death

As news outlets continue to cover the reaction to the shocking death of One Direction singer Liam Payne on Wednesday at the age of 31, the controversial right-wing news channel GB News has faced widespread criticism over comments made by one of its presenters over the incident.

Payne, who also had a string of solo hits following the break-up of the X Factorboy band (including 'Strip That Down' with Quavo and 'Polaroid' with DJ Jonas Blue) was found dead in the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires in Argentina, after falling from a three-storey balcony.

Hotel staff had called the emergency services for assistance hours before Payne’s passing, stating there was a “guest who has had too many drugs and alcohol” and “trashing the entire room”, with the employee fearing the musician’s life “might be in danger”.

A spokesman for a city ambulance service provider, Alberto Crescenti, said hotel workers reported a person was “lying in an internal patio”, with an ambulance arriving at 5:11pm and Payne then being declared dead.

“Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him,” he said.

Countless tributes were posted to social media once the news broke of Payne’s passing, with fellow 1D band members Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles writing in a joint statement that they are “completely devastated” by the news.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” they said.

Music mogul Simon Cowell, who helped put One Direction together on The X Factor back in 2010, said he was “truly devastated” and “heartbroken”.

Payne had a child named Bear – now aged seven – with former Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, who said in her own statement that it was an “indescribably painful time” for her following the “earth-shattering event”.

“I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being. Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven-year-old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again,” she wrote, expressing her concern that Bear will one day have access to “abhorrent reports and media exploitation” surrounding his father’s passing.

Tweedy went on to beg individuals to “consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces”, and to “give Liam the little dignity he has left” to “rest in some peace at last”.

Despite this, during his programme Britain’s Newsroom with co-host Nana Akua on Friday, GB News presenter Ben Leo said: “I felt pretty sad – young guy with a seven-year-old child – but then I kind of thought, ‘what are you doing getting drugged up?’”

Neo has since been criticised on social media for the “vile” remarks:

GB News is not the only news organisation to face condemnation for its coverage of Payne’s death, after American outlet TMZ shared pictures of the star’s dead body as part of its initial report on the incident, before later removing them.

A day before his comments on air, Leo had taken to Twitter/X to write that Payne's passing was "shocking news".

"No age to die, especially with a young child left behind. Cannot imagine the pain his family and friends are feeling.

"Another reminder how fragile life is. Here one day, gone the next. Sad," he said.

GB News has been approached for comment.

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