One Direction was one of the biggest boy bands on the planet, but the five members also formed a close bond. When Liam Payne died in October 2024, after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, his fans and loved ones mourned his tragic loss. He was 31.
Payne’s former bandmate, “The Voice” coach Niall Horan, has opened up about his grief and how it continues to impact him, 18-months later.
Niall Horan Shares Grief Process After Liam Payne’s Sudden Passing
Horan discussed his immediate reaction to Payne’s sudden death in an interview on “The Tommy Tiernan Show” on April 4. “Shock was definitely the first thing [I felt,]” he said. He also revealed that weeks before Payne’s death, they had spent time together and caught up over coffee. Payne showed his support for Horan by attending one of his gigs that night. “He was in the dressing room before, and came to the show,” Horan recalled of their last time together.
When Horan learned that Payne had died, he said, “It was just pure shock. I knew he’d had a couple of issues but I wasn’t around him like I was previous years all the time, I didn’t realize to what extent. I wasn’t aware of the depth.”
Horan grieved his friend’s loss, but he was also left in disbelief. He also questioned whether he could have done more to help Payne. He described the stages of grief, saying, “I grew up with this fella and then all of a sudden just… It’s no more. It’s just such a strange thing. You go through, like, what could I have done, if I’d known more? Should I have dug more into it? Could I have talked to other people to get an angle on it? I still just haven’t wrapped my own head around it.”
Niall Horan & Liam Payne’s Friendship
At the time of Payne’s passing, Horan shared several photos of them together in a beautiful tribute on Instagram. He captioned the post from October 18, 2024, with a black heart. Fans flooded the comment section with messages of support.
Horan and Payne met when they were teenagers and competed on “The X Factor” in 2010. They enjoyed tremendous success during their time with One Direction, and would both pursue solo careers after the band announced its hiatus.
In an Instagram post from July 2020, Horan celebrated the band’s 10th anniversary and praised his time with his bandmates. “When I met these four gents there was no way I thought we would go on to do what we did. So many unbelievable memories we shared together,” he wrote at the time. Over the years, he shared several posts featuring Payne that highlighted their bond, including one wishing him Happy Birthday.
