Harry Styles has spoken publicly for the first time about the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, describing the loss as “impossibly difficult” in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. The singer, who is promoting his upcoming album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, reflected on the bond they shared as members of the chart-dominating boyband.
“It’s so difficult to lose a friend,” Styles said. “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.” Payne died in October 2024 after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Styles also addressed the public nature of grief, saying: “I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with acknowledging how strange it is to have people own part of your grief in a way. I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away. And then suddenly being aware of a desire from other people of you to convey that in some way, or it means you’re not feeling what you’re feeling, you know?”
He described Payne as “someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great” and said the tragedy prompted him to reassess his own life. “The greatest way you can honour your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest,” Styles added. “Super special person and really sad.”
Payne rose to fame as part of One Direction, which sold 70m records and sold out stadiums worldwide. After the group disbanded, he pursued a solo career, scoring a Top 10 hit with Strip That Down. Fellow bandmates Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson have also paid tribute, with Tomlinson noting that “none of us would have admitted it at the time, but we all looked up to him.”
Styles will perform his new album in full at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena on Friday, with a live stream on Netflix this Sunday. He is also set to play a record-breaking 30 nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden later this year.
