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Harry Styles has spoken out for the first time about the death of his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, openly admitting how he struggled with public perception and expectations of his grief.
“Quite frankly, just the idea of talking about it is a little difficult for me. I think there was a period after his death where I really struggled with acknowledging how weird it is when other people kind of take ownership of some of your grief,” Styles told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I have such strong feelings about my friend’s death. And then you suddenly realize that maybe people expect you to express that on the outside – or it means you don’t feel what you feel, or something like that.”
Payne died on October 16, 2024 from injuries sustained in a fall from the balcony of his hotel room. The singer was 31 years old. Following his death, each member of One Direction posted a tribute on social media, and the band’s official Instagram account shared a joint post – the first upload in four years. “We are devastated by the news of Liam’s death. There will be more to say in time, when everyone is able. But for now we will take some time to grieve and come to terms with the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” it said at the time.
Mourning and new music
“It’s so hard to lose a friend who is so similar to you in so many ways,” Styles said. “I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great.” The conversation was the first time he spoke in detail about Payne, whom he described as a “very special person.” It coincides with the release of his fourth studio album “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” on Friday, March 6th – born out of a sense of life that gripped him in the midst of this grief.
“It was a really important moment for me to look at my life and be able to say to myself, ‘Okay, what do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live?'” Styles continued. “And I think the best way to honor your friends who have died is to live your life to the fullest.” The album’s hedonistic escape is rooted in the time when Styles first allowed a sense of normality to return after the end of the extensive Love on Tour.
“I think what makes someone an artist is letting people watch you be an ordinary person,” Styles said. “It’s not about saying: I’m this mystical thing. The difference is that we’re all ordinary people, and there are some who let other people watch them be ordinary people. And I think that’s kind of the key – at least for me.”
One Direction after Liam’s death
In the year and a half since Payne’s death, all members of One Direction – Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik – have returned to the public eye with new music. The return to the spotlight gave them a space in which their own grief could combine with the sympathy of their fans.
In November 2024, Malik dedicated “iT’s YoU” to Payne at a performance in his hometown. “I hope you see this,” he said. “This is for you, Liam.” Tomlinson spoke openly about the loss in an interview with Rolling Stone UK in October: “It was really, really, incredibly hard for me to lose Liam. Naive as I was, I thought that because I’ve had a fair amount of experience with grief for my age, maybe that would soften the blow. That was totally naive. It’s completely different. I’ve never lost a friend before.”
