Niall Horan has spoken candidly about the heartache of losing his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, revealing he often asks himself whether he could have done more to help. Payne died in October 2024 at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was attending a US visa appointment.
Horan, who had been performing in Latin America on his sold-out tour, spent time with Payne just days before his death. The pair posed for pictures together, which Payne shared on social media, much to the delight of fans hoping for a reunion. Recalling the meeting on the Tommy Tiernan Show, Horan said: "It was great to see Liam."
Reflecting on the moment he learned of Payne's death, Horan described being at home after finishing his tour and receiving a text as he was about to go to sleep. "Pure shock," he said. "I knew he'd had a couple of issues, but because I wasn't around him like I was in previous years, I didn't realise to what extent."
Horan, who had known Payne since they were 16 and shared a room at The X Factor, said he has struggled to come to terms with the loss. "You go through 'what could I have done if I'd known more?'" he said. "Should I have dug more into it? Could I talk to other people to get an angle on it? I also just kept thinking of his little son."
He admitted he has not yet "wrapped his head around" the tragedy and has deliberately avoided media coverage of Payne's death, preferring to rely on his own memories. As part of his grieving process, Horan has written a song called "End of an Era", from his upcoming album Dinner Party, with lyrics reflecting on their bond: "We had it, pure magic, remember what it was like, time passes, so fast, and I couldn't tell you goodbye."
