Overview

• Cassidy shared a lighthearted TikTok trend in which a friend fails to lift her, captioning it “Okay, maybe I do need a man,” just days before October 16, the first anniversary of Payne’s death.
• Some One Direction fans called the timing insensitive, though many users defended Cassidy and said grief varies and she is entitled to keep living her life.
• Cassidy previously reposted fan-created AI images of herself with Payne on Instagram and later told detractors on TikTok to stop judging how people grieve.
• A friend of Payne was quoted criticizing the AI images as “distasteful” and “unhelpful” to his family, reflecting ongoing tensions over digital memorialization.
• Payne, 31, died on October 16, 2024 after a fall from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony, and authorities later confirmed drugs were in his system; Cassidy has since discussed coping by rebuilding daily routines and staying active.