As Harry Styles speaks about Liam Payne for first time, here’s everything 1D boys have said

Harry Styles has addressed the death of his bandmate Liam Payne for the first time, a year and a half after he passed away, so here’s everything the One Direction boys have said about their friend.

The 31-year-old died on 16th October 2024 after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina, and Harry has stayed silent publicly until now. However, a few of the others have spoken out in the past.

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A post shared by Liam Payne (@liampayne)

Harry Styles said losing such a great friend has been ‘difficult’

In a new interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music ahead of his new album, Harry called Liam a “super special person” and spoke about the pressure of having to talk about his grief.

“Even the idea of talking about it [Liam], I struggle with that a little bit. 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,” he said. “I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away. And then suddenly being aware that there’s a desire from other people for you to convey that in some way, or it means you’re not feeling what you’re feeling.”

Styles continued: “It’s so difficult to lose a friend. 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. It’s like, I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great.” However, he now uses Liam’s death to guide his own life, saying he wants to honour him by “living life to the fullest”.

“It was a really important moment for me in terms of taking a look at my life and being able to say to myself, ‘Ok, what do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live my life?’ And I think the greatest way you can honour your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest,” he said.

Harry Styles spoke to Zane Lowe about Liam Payne’s passing in their recent interview.pic.twitter.com/hsUTTBo9LL

— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 4, 2026

Louis emotionally revealed he has ‘never lost a friend before’

In October 2025, a year after his passing, Louis Tomlinson spoke to Rolling Stone about how hard losing his friend was.

“It was really, really, impossibly difficult for me to deal with losing Liam,” Louis said. “Naively, I thought that because at this point, I’m relatively well versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow. [That was] super-naive. It’s very different. I’ve never lost a friend before.

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“You know, there’s still a level in my head [where it feels] unjust and frustrating that he’s not with us anymore. So, it just brought up those feelings, although I’m still living with them anyway.” Louis said it was particularly hard on the 15th anniversary of One Direction, and the “feeling to celebrate” felt “more important than ever, on behalf of Liam”.

He added: “He [Liam] was just a very misunderstood person, I think, from a public perspective. If there is ever any judgment on his character, I think nine times out of 10, you can reflect on that, and the reflection is that he was someone who just wanted to be liked.”

Zayn and Niall posted statements after Liam passed away

Zayn Malik and Niall Horan haven’t spoken out publicly since Liam’s death, but they both posted personal statements in October 2024, after he passed away, on top of the group one the One Direction bandmates shared.

“Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives,” Zayn wrote. “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved.”

He said even though Liam was younger than him, he was “more sensible, headstrong, opinionated and gave no fuc*s about telling people when they were wrong”.

“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro.”

Zayn’s statement regarding Liam’s death 🕊️💔 pic.twitter.com/YFDOtF2Ij2

— Zayn Malik Daily (@zmdaily) October 17, 2024

Niall also wrote on Instagram around the same time: “I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real. Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure.

“All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”

He said he felt “so fortunate” that he got to see Liam not long before he died, but had no idea that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, he would be “saying goodbye forever”.

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Featured image credit: Instagram