Liam Payne's cousin has spoken out in his first TV interview since the One Direction star's death in October 2024. Singer Liam died aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
Cousin's first interview
Ross Harris appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, August 27, to share his memories of Liam and honour him in new music. He said: "He absolutely loved the fans and meeting them, he was so grateful for the position he had been put in."
Harris described Liam as "so charismatic and very kind", adding that this was part of the reason he was appearing on the show: "to tell people about the kindness, and the guy he was, compared to the guy that's being portrayed in the media."
Concerns before death
An investigation into Liam's death is still ongoing. An initial coroner's report said he died of multiple traumas and "internal and external haemorrhage" after the fall from a third-floor balcony.
Harris spoke about concerns he had before Liam's death, saying: "For him, fame is a very difficult thing for a lot of people to deal with, it looks like it's glitz and glamour from the outside, and there's amazing opportunities, amazing life you can have, but on the other side, there's a certain isolation and loneliness."
He added: "It's very hard to know who is in your corner, who is rooting for you, who's there for the money. And there was a time that I thought, bless this guy, he's got everything and nothing at the same time, he's lonely and isolated and maybe doesn't know what people think of him."
'Didn't feel very loved'
In a pre-recorded interview for Good Morning Britain, Harris had previously said he feared Liam hadn't felt loved. He said: "He didn't feel very loved, which is ironic for a superstar, because he has a million people plus who love him. They loved Liam Payne, he needs someone to love Liam, if that makes sense."
He continued: "Not that the fans didn't give him love because he absolutely adored them and was so grateful for them. But on a personal level, when you don't have anyone around you, you worry who cares for you."
Harris said he had planned to reach out to mutual friends in the industry: "I was going to send a couple of messages to people who I know, people who he knows, mutual friends in the industry, just to say like, when he gets back, shall we go over there and hang out and be there and move on to the next phase of his life, to make sure he's loved, effectively."
He added: "It's like a dream to go on a TV show and become a superstar, but that dream can end in the worst possible way, which we have unfortunately experienced here."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
