Harry Styles has opened up about the death of his friend and former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne in a new interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe.
The 32-year-old singer-songwriter was asked about Payne, who died unexpectedly in October 2024, during a sit down chat to promote his new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, which drops this Friday (March 8).
“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 like own part of your grief in a way,” Styles told Lowe, adding that he found “even the idea of talking about” Payne's death tough.
“I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away,” he continued. “And then suddenly being, you know, like aware of there’s maybe 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?”
Payne died of fatal head injuries, with internal and external bleeding caused by a fall from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following an autopsy.
“It’s so difficult to lose a friend,” Styles said. “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.”
Styles believes losing Payne at such a young age has made him reflect on his own life and how he is living it.
“I saw someone with the kindest heart, who just wanted to be great,” he explained. “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 honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest.”
Watch the full interview with Zane Lowe below.