Harry Styles is opening up about the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.
During his appearance on March 4 on Apple Music 1 The Zane Lowe ShowThe Grammy-winning artist admitted he is still processing the loss, more than a year after Payne tragically passed away at the age of 31.
“It’s very hard to lose a friend. It’s hard to lose any friend, but it’s very hard to lose a friend who is like you in many ways,” Styles, 32, said. “It’s like I saw someone with the kindest heart, who just wanted to be great. It was a really important moment for me in terms of taking a look at my life and being able to say to myself, ‘Okay, what do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live my life?’ And I think the best way to honor your friends who pass away is to live your life to the fullest.”
The news of Payne’s death broke on October 16, 2024, after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo. Fans around the world were heartbroken, although Styles felt pressured by them to speak out before he felt ready to do so, even after issuing a joint statement with the band and a personal tribute at the time.
“I think there was a period when he passed away where I really had a hard time recognizing how strange it is that people own some of your pain in some way,” she told Zane Lowe.
Styles recalled thinking, “I have such strong feelings about my friend dying. And then all of a sudden I realize that maybe there’s a desire from other people to convey that in some way, or it means that you’re not feeling what you’re feeling or something, you know.”
