Topics: Harry Styles, Music, Liam Payne, Celebrity, UK News
Not a day has gone by since the tragic passing of Liam Payne that Harry Styles hasn't thought of his former bandmate.
In a gut-wrenching new interview, Styles both reflected on the life lessons that Payne's passing taught him, and made a heartbreaking admission about grieving whilst in the public eye.
"It’s difficult to lose any friend, but it’s so difficult to lose a friend who is so like you in so many ways," the 32-year-old told DJ Zane Lowe for his Apple Music podcast on Wednesday (4 Mar).
"It’s like, I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great."
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Styles and Payne had met as teenagers after separately auditioning as soloists for the 2010 series of The X Factor.
Seeing more potential between them as a band, music producer and head judge Simon Cowell grouped the pair together with Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, forming One Direction. The band lasted six happy years - during which they released five studio albums, and fronted four major worldwide concert tours - before its members parted ways in 2016.
The five-some each embarked on solo careers in the years that followed, with Payne's debut single 'Strip That Down' peaking at number three on the UK singles chart. He also became a father, welcoming a son with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole in 2017.
In October of 2024, however, the Wolverhampton-born star sadly died after falling from the third floor of his Buenos Aires, Argentina, hotel room balcony. He'd been in South America with influencer girlfriend Kate Cassidy at the time, supporting Horan, who'd been touring the continent.
Reflecting on the sudden loss of his once close friend, 'Watermelon Sugar' singer Styles this week claimed that the grieving process wasn't made easy by the heavy expectations of 'Directioners' for him to speak out in the immediate aftermath.
"I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with kind of acknowledging how strange it is to have people kind of own part of your grief, in a way," Styles continued.
"I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away. And then suddenly being, you know, like aware that there’s maybe a desire from other people of you to convey that in some way, or it means you’re not feeling what you’re feeling or something, you know?"
The Grammy-winning artist went on to explain, however, that Payne's passing did serve as something of a wake-up call.
"It was a really important moment for me in terms of taking a look at my life and being able to say to myself, 'OK, what do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live my life?'," he confessed.
"And I think the greatest way you can honour your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest."
Two days after Payne's death, the 'As It Was' hit-maker shared a tribute to his fallen friend. It read: "I am truly devastated by Liam's passing. His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
"Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving."
Styles added: "The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.
"My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did."
He also signed a joint statement with Tomlinson, Malik and Horan, which read: "We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.
"But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever."
The group added: "For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
"We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam."
