After Liam Payne fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday (October 16th), TMZ tastelessly published a cropped photo of the One Direction singer’s body. The celebrity tabloid immediately drew backlash for the decision, and responded by quietly taking down the photo.

The site initially published a purported image of Payne’s arm and waist, which they identified with his tattoos. “TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam’s body on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby,” the accompanying copy read. “We’re not showing the whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoos — a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen.”

“TMZ is trying to get clicks and ad money off of a young man’s dead body just minutes after the news of his death,” wrote BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh. “Imagine being...