Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of suicide.
Two years after Liam Payne’s death, his girlfriend Kate Cassidy is getting rid of a tattoo she got in tribute to the late singer. The 27-year-old influencer had the 444 tattoo inked in his memory after his tragic passing in 2024. The Former One Direction star died on October 16, 2024, aged 31, after he fell from the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Kate Cassidy documents her laser tattoo removal while explaining the ink’s meaning
On July 28, Cassidy shared an Instagram Story from Skin Club Miami Laser Studio, writing, “Tattoo removal today.” She also posted footage of the laser procedure removing her 444 tattoo from her hand. However, she quickly set the record straight that she “decided to get some tattoos removed that were done poorly, will be getting redone eventually,” reports Page Six.
After Cassidy got the number pattern tattooed, reports described it as the couple’s “angel number,” symbolizing “love and support.” In addition to the 444 tattoo, Cassidy has several other designs honoring Payne’s memory. They include angel wings, a number 4 tattoo on her left ring finger, his initials on her wrist, and a wilted rose on her thumb.
Eight months after Payne’s death, Cassidy referenced the “444” number in an emotional social media tribute. She described his passing as “a type of pain” she couldn’t “fully put into words.” She said, as quoted by The Nightly, “I lost my best friend and someone I thought I had so much more time and life left to share with.”
While remembering him, she described Liam as someone she would begin missing the moment she left his side. She wrote that even a few hours apart made her eager to return home and be with him again. She then wrote, “One day, I’ll see you again, and I’ll have so much to tell you. So much to catch up on. I love you my angel❤️444.”
The Guardian reported that a postmortem found Payne died from multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after the fall. Prosecutors charged Rogelio Nores, hotel operator Gilda Martin, and receptionist Esteban Grassi with manslaughter. In February, an Argentine court dismissed criminal negligence charges against them.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialling 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or going to 988lifeline.org.
