'Still feels surreal': Niall Horan on Liam Payne's death
What's the story
In a recent interview with The Times of London, singer Niall Horan spoke about the untimely death of his bandmate Liam Payne. Payne died in 2024 after falling three floors from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the age of 31. Horan revealed that he was with Payne in Argentina just weeks before his tragic demise and expressed disbelief upon hearing the news.
Grief
Horan still can't believe that Payne is no more
Horan said, "I'm glad of that, it means my last memory of him was happy." "It still feels surreal. On day one, I was, like, 'Nah, it didn't happen.' Our friendship was a bond that was there forever, even if we hadn't seen each other for a while, and it's wild that one day, like the flick of a switch, he's gone."
Coping
'Light and shade' to his grief
Horan said that "all our families" have stayed in touch since the incident. He added that there is a "light and shade" to his grief. "When I think of Liam's passing, there is sadness, but it also makes me laugh and smirk because of the memories we had," he said. "I'll go to places and think of something stupid in a hotel or something random that makes me laugh."
Tribute
Horan has a tribute track for Payne in upcoming album
Horan's upcoming solo album, Dinner Party, releasing on June 5, includes a tribute track to Payne titled End of an Era. When asked about what Payne would have thought of the song, Horan said, "I think it's his type of song; he liked Coldplay, he loved songs like You & I by One Direction, songs that went somewhere."