Chris Cornell's daughter, Toni Cornell, is publicly slamming TMZ and recalling her own trauma that she says the outlet caused.
Cornell has called out TMZ in the wake of Liam Payne's death for posting pictures of his body after the One Direction member fell from a third-story balcony on October 16, resulting in his untimely death.
In a statement shared to her Instagram account, Cornell called out the new outlet for the pictures they shared in a scathing post. She noted how TMZ also published graphic images of her father's death, which deeply affected her as a 12-year-old.
"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," Cornell said.
"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," she added.
It is worth noting that TMZ removed the pictures of Payne's body after the backlash had become too much.
"While the images of Liam have since been taken down, it means nothing. They should never have been put up in the first place. 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," Cornell continued.
Toni's dad, Chris, passed away in May 2017. The singer was found dead in his hotel room following a Soundgarden show at the Fox Theatre.
Read more: Chris Cornell's Last Songs Before Death To Be Released After Wife, Soundgarden Reach Agreement
She is not the first person to slam news outlets in the wake of Payne's passing. On October 28, Cheryl Cole, the mother of Payne's son, shared a post to her Instagram slamming outlets for sensationalizing his death.
"Liam was not only a pop star and a celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again," Cole said.
"What is troubling my spirit is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future," she added.
"I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces. Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them. Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last," Cole concluded.
Payne was 31 years old when he died. Since his death, his toxicology report has come back and revealed that Payne was on multiple substances when he fell from the balcony of the hotel he was staying at.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
