Niall informed Louis of One Direction mate Liam's death
What's the story
In a recent interview on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson opened up about his experiences of grief and loss. He spoke about the deaths of his bandmate Liam Payne and his sister Felicite. Notably, Felicite died in March 2019 at just 18 years old after being found unresponsive at her London home. Her death was also drug-induced, like Payne's years later.
Grief
'I was in denial at that moment'
Tomlinson recalled the moment he learned of Felicite's death, describing a "feeling" that came over him immediately. "The doorbell rang at like one in the morning or something... I saw the police car and the policeman, and then they told me that she passed away." "Not only was I in denial at that moment, I just refused to even compute it."
Guilt
'I felt utterly guilty'
Tomlinson admitted to feeling guilty after his sister's death, particularly because of their mother's last words to him. "My mom said to me, the last couple of weeks of her life, 'You better promise me you look after your sisters. But specifically Felicite, she's fragile.' I felt like I'd failed at the time." "To lose my sister in the manner that we did...I felt utterly guilty."
Similar grief
'My 150% wasn't nearly enough'
When the conversation shifted to Payne's death, Tomlinson revealed he felt a similar sense of guilt and helplessness. "I think anyone has this when they're around someone who's struggling - my 150% wasn't nearly enough." "And that's when it's my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped really because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him. He was definitely struggling at that time in his life."
Reaction
Tomlinson was in car when he found out about Payne
When speaking about how and when he found out about Payne's passing in Argentina, the singer revealed he was in "a car in LA." "I found out through Niall," Tomlinson added, referring to One Direction bandmate Niall Horan. Horan had texted in their group chat, asking them if they had seen the news, and Tomlinson had a sinking feeling that he already knew what it was. "(Payne) was definitely struggling at that time in his life."