'Impossibly difficult': Louis on coming to terms with Liam's death
What's the story
Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson recently opened up about the "impossibly difficult" task of coming to terms with the death of his bandmate, Liam Payne. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone UK, he revealed, "It was really uncomfortable, actually, the 15th anniversary." "Because the [collective] feeling to celebrate is as important, if not more important, than ever, on behalf of Liam."
Emotional struggle
'Naively, I thought that it might soften the blow'
Tomlinson said, "You know, there's still a level in my head [where it feels] unjust and frustrating that he's not with us anymore." The singer added, "It was really, really, impossibly difficult for me to deal with losing Liam." "Naively, I thought that because at this point I'm relatively well-versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow." "It's very different. I've never lost a friend before."
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Tomlinson called Payne the 'safest pair of hands' in 1D
Tomlinson also shared his fond memories of Payne, calling him the "safest pair of hands" in One Direction. He said, "We were all just so amateur, but he was already where he needed to be by the time he did his first [X Factor] audition." "None of us would have admitted it at the time because you have a lot of pride as a young lad but we all looked up to him like that."
Details
Cause of Payne's death
Payne reportedly died after falling from the third floor of his Buenos Aires hotel. The hotel staff had reportedly called the police to report a guest who seemed under the "influence of drugs and alcohol." An autopsy confirmed he was intoxicated and may have jumped while semi or fully unconscious.