Harry Styles is opening up about the loss of his former bandmate Liam Payne, sharing that following his tragic death, he vowed to live life to the fullest to further honor him.
During an interview Wednesday with Zane Lowe ahead of the release of his new album Kiss all the time. Disco, sometimesLowe noted that something the “Aperture” singer said about artists being “regular people” reminded him of Payne.
“I love the idea of breaking the magic of what is extraordinary for others in an attempt to create something ordinary that is beautiful for you,” Lowe said. “I thought about Liam when I said that, you know, I thought about some, not just Liam, but people who have struggled to get out of unusual situations.”
The three-time Grammy Award winner replied, “Yes. It’s really like complete transparency, it’s something that I struggle with, even the idea of talking about it, I struggle with it a little bit.”
“I think there was a period when he died that I was really struggling with kind of like recognizing how weird it is for people to be a part of your grief in some way. I have strong feelings about my friend’s death,” Styles continued. “And then all of a sudden, you know, you realize that there’s a desire from other people for you to convey that in some way, or that it means you’re not feeling what you’re feeling or something, you know?”
Payne died on October 16, 2024, after falling from the third floor of a hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31 years old.
Loss of any kind is very difficult, Stiles explained, “but it’s even harder to lose a friend who is so similar to you in so many ways.”
“It’s like I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great,” Stiles said.
He added, “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 are gone is to live your life to the fullest. Like someone very special and really sad.
Following his death, Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik shared a joint statement on Instagram, writing that they were “absolutely devastated by the news of Liam’s death.”
“In time, when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, whom we loved so dearly,” One Direction’s statement continued. “The memories we shared with him will forever be treasured. Right now, our thoughts are with his family, friends and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam.”
British boy band One Direction reunited in Factor X In 2010. Consisting of Payne, Styles, Horan, Tomlinson and Malik, the group quickly rose to international stardom, remaining so until March 2015, when Malik announced that he was leaving the group. They remained a quartet until the beginning of 2016.
Aside from talking about Payne, Styles gave a wide-ranging interview with Lowe where he talked about several tracks from his upcoming record and talked about his album winning Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Harry’s house. Styles said he wrote a letter to himself days before the ceremony to talk about what happened whether he won or lost.
“I wanted to own up to everything that happened, if I was disappointed or if I was feeling too much myself,” Stiles said. “I’m paraphrasing, but it basically says something like, ‘Whatever everyone just told you, it’s not true. Remember why you are doing it. This is the reward.”
Kiss all the time. Disco, sometimes It comes out Friday night and is one of the most anticipated albums of 2026. Styles will be touring for the album this year, playing a 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden from August through October.
He is scheduled to play a one-night-only concert in Manchester on Friday, where he will perform his latest album in its entirety. This performance will stream on Netflix on Sunday at 3pm EST.
