Harry Styles is opening up about the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, reflecting on the loss and how it has changed his perspective on life.
Payne died at age 31 in Oct. 2024 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina. His body was found in the hotel’s inner courtyard and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to state police.
In an Apple Music interview released Wednesday, Styles told host Zane Lowe that losing Payne has been deeply difficult.
“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,” he said. “It's like, I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great.”
Styles said Payne’s death prompted him to reflect on how he wants to live his life.
"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?' Styles continued.
"And I think the greatest way you can honour your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest,” he said.
He added that he remembers Payne as a “super special person.”
Styles also spoke candidly about navigating grief in the public eye.
“Full transparency, it’s something that even the idea of talking about it -- I struggle with that a little bit even,” he said. "I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with kind of like acknowledging how strange it is to have people kind of own part of your grief in a way.”
“I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away,” he continued. “And then suddenly being, you know, like aware of there's maybe like a desire from other people of you to convey that in some way, or it means you're not feeling what you're feeling or something, you know?”
Styles rose to fame as a member of One Direction alongside Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. The group was formed on “The X Factor” in 2010 and went on to release five albums, including “Up All Night” in 2011 and “Made in the A.M.” in 2015.
Earlier this year, Styles announced his fourth solo album, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” his first studio release since 2022. The album is set to be released March 6, and its lead single, “Aperture,” debuted in January.
