Liam Payne's death prompts TikTok star who mocked him to delete posts and issue statement

Max Balegde and Liam Payne (Image: GETTY)

TikTok sensation Max Balegde has finally spoken out after the devastating news about ex-One Direction heartthrob Liam Payne.

Known for racking up an impressive 3.6 million TikTok devotees with his whirlwind mix of comedy and chaos, Balegde has made a splash in the world of entertainment, rubbing shoulders with stars like Louis Theroux, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and Millie Bobby Brown through his engaging interviews, while also hosting his podcast, The Useless Hotline.

Before Liam's tragic death in Argentina last week, Max was renowned for his tongue-in-cheek imitations of the singer, once even filming his reactions to Payne's "cringiest" moments.

Now, in light of Liam's tragic end, all mocking tributes have been deleted from Max's profile.

Breaking his silence on Wednesday, October 23, Max addressed his online absence and the deleted content via Instagram, sharing: "Hey guys - you might have noticed that I've been away from socials for a few days, and I've had a lot of people ask me why I took down my videos about Liam Payne. The reason for both of these is out of respect to this tragic news."

Max continued, emphasising his ethos: "I always want my pop culture based content to be light hearted, so it of course didn't feel right to leave those videos up given the awful news. Sending love to everyone affected by this loss."

Max previously faced backlash for donning a contentious T-shirt at Capital's 2022 Summertime Ball. He was snapped at the event wearing a T-shirt that showcased a quote from a viral Liam interview, reports OK! Magazine.

Max posted a statement online (Image: max_balegde/instagram)

Max, who frequently discussed the viral incident on his TikTok channel, wore a white shirt emblazoned with: 'If you don't remove those hands there's a high likelihood you'll never use them again.'

Ex-X Factor contestant Katie Waissel demanded the influencer be sacked from Capital FM's network, citing harassment legislation. The singer, who featured in the seventh series of the ITV show alongside One Direction, retweeted a photo of Max in the controversial shirt, originally posted to the radio station's account.

The tweet stated: "This is your employee - Under the Public Order Act 1986, s4A (1)(b) A person is guilty of an offence if, with intent to cause a person harassment, alarm or distress, he displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting."

Liam passed away last week (Image: Getty Images for ABA)

Max cheekily responded to the tweet saying: "Me begging to not be jailed for wearing a quote on a T-shirt," which was accompanied by a clip of Katie belting out Solomon Burke's hit 'Don't Give Up On Me' from her stint on The X Factor.

The shirt's quote alludes to an explosive revelation from Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast where Payne recounted a tense moment when an unnamed One Direction member confronted him backstage.

Liam at the time didnt hold back on the podcast, boasting, "We did the first song...a billion streams," and revealing, I think it outsold everybody within the band and I was the last to go, and I never expected that.

In a candid moment, he expressed his mixed feelings about ex-bandmate Zayn Malik, who departed the group pre-hiatus, stating: "There's many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there's many reasons why I'll always, always be on his side."

Yet, facing a tirade of criticism, Payne offered a Twitter mea culpa for his remarks, stressing, "Guys - I wouldn't normally comment on this stuff but when it's your family it's hard to let it slide," he conceded.

He addressed a particular episode involving Zayn, acknowledging that upon reflection, his response could have been better phrased: "They mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to - but listening back maybe I didn't articulate myself as well as I could have."

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: Max Balegdewalks the media line during Capital FM's Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium on June 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) (Image: WireImage)

In a follow-up tweet, he elaborated, "I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side. That's family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever."

It's believed that Zayn issued a veiled reply to his fellow band member by sharing a cryptic 8-second video clip where he is seen performing One Direction's 2013 anthem You and I on his Instagram this Saturday (June 11).