Harry Styles opens up about the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.
During his March 4 performance on Apple Music 1’s The Zane Lowe Showthe Grammy-winning artist admitted he is still processing the loss – over a year after Payne tragically died aged 31.
“It’s so hard to lose a friend. It’s hard to lose a friend, but it’s so hard to lose a friend who’s so like you in so many ways,” said Styles, 32. “It’s like, I saw someone with the best heart who just wanted to be great. It was a really important moment for me in terms of looking 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?’ And I think the best way you can honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest.”
News of Payne’s death broke on 16 October 2024 after he fell from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo. Fans worldwide were devastated, although Styles felt pressured by them to speak out earlier than he felt ready to do so – even after issuing a joint statement with the band as well as a personal tribute at the time.
“I think there was a period when he passed where I really struggled to recognize how strange it is to have people in a way own a part of your grief,” he told Zane Lowe.
Styles recalled thinking, “I have such strong feelings about my friend dying. And then all of a sudden, you know, like be aware that maybe there’s a desire on the part of you to convey that in some way or it means you’re not feeling what you’re feeling or something you know.”
