Harry Styles has spoken in depth for the first time about losing Liam Payne, admitting that even talking about his former One Direction bandmate’s death is something he has “struggle[d] with”.
In a new interview with Zane Lowe, the 32-year-old reflected on how Payne’s passing in 2024 reshaped his outlook on life, friendship and what it means to grieve in public while the world watches.
Payne, who was just 31, tragically fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Details that came out later painted a tough picture, with reports of heavy drug use and a high blood alcohol content at the time. Five people faced charges over the tragedy — three for negligent homicide and two for supplying drugs — though some charges got dropped in February this year. Hotel staff and a mate of Payne’s were among those involved.
Styles described the loss as hitting extra hard because Payne felt so similar to him. “It’s so difficult to lose a friend who is so like you in so many ways,” he told Lowe. “I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great.”
The grief didn’t stay private for long, which Styles found tricky to navigate. Fans mourned publicly right away, and the official One Direction Instagram posted a joint tribute (their first in four years) saying they were “completely devastated” and needed time to grieve their “brother”.
Styles reflected on that side of it, saying, “I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with kind of like acknowledging how strange it is to have people kind of like own part of your grief in a way. I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away. And then suddenly being, you know, like aware of there’s maybe like 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?”
That moment became a turning point for Styles. Payne’s passing pushed him to reassess everything. “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 shared.
His takeaway: “I think the greatest way you can honour your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest.”
The other One Direction boys have been processing it through their music too. Zayn Malik dedicated a track to Payne during a hometown gig last year, while Louis Tomlinson called the loss “really, really, impossibly difficult” in a chat with Rolling Stone UK.
Niall Horan was the last member to see Payne alive after he flew to Argentina to see Horan perform on tour.
“I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking,” he wrote at the time.
For Styles, speaking out marks his first deep dive into his former bandmate’s death, ahead of his new album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally dropping on March 6.
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