Louis Tomlinson reflects on the pain of losing his ex One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne, a year after the singer’s death.
In a new interview with The independentthe 33-year-old opened up about navigating grief since Payne died in October 2024 at the age of 31.
“I naively thought that at this point, unfortunately, I would be a bit more well-versed with grief than other people my age. I thought it might matter, but it didn’t at all,” Tomlinson said, referencing the previous losses of his mother, Johannah Deakin, who died of cancer in 2016, and his sister, who died after a 2-year-old fatal accident, Félicitedos.
“It’s something I’ll never really accept, I don’t think,” he added.
Tomlinson fondly remembered Payne as someone who could always make him laugh. “Liam would always entertain me. If I was bored and wanted a laugh, he would play that role,” he said.
He also praised Payne’s loyalty and kindness, noting that his late friend always showed up for him – whether it was during Tomlinson’s stint as a judge at The X Factor or at the premiere of his 2023 documentary, All those votes.
“This is in no way a comment directed at the other boys, but I know if it was me I would have struggled with that idea. [would have been] a sense of inferiority there because you’re the guest,” Tomlinson admitted.
“But every opportunity Liam got like that, he was always, always there for me. Even though he might have struggled, he put himself second and still showed up. Those moments are really a testament to the truth of who he was as a person.”
Tragedy has also brought the rest One Direction members closer together, he said, referring to Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
“The best kind of friends are the ones where, when you finally meet, it’s like no time has passed,” he shared. “It’s also just great to see everyone doing so well in their own right.”
One Directionformed on The X Factor UK in 2010, went on to become one of the biggest pop acts of the decade before Payne died on October 16, 2024, from a hotel balcony fall in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
An autopsy later determined the cause of death as “polytrauma,” meaning multiple injuries affecting multiple organs and systems.
