Harry Styles remembered his late friend and One Direction bandmate Liam Payne in a new Apple Music interview.
The three-time Grammy winner, who releases his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, on March 6, spoke with Apple Music host Zane Lowe about Payne nearly two years after the singer died. Payne died from multiple traumas and external bleeding at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October 2024. A toxicology report for the late vocalist showed that he had a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .27 percent, classified as “severe intoxication,” along with cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system.
When Lowe mentioned Payne in the interview, Styles admitted to struggling to acknowledge that the singer has passed away. Styles was in attendance at Payne’s private memorial service on November 20, 2024 at St Mary's Church, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, along with other former One Direction members.
“I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with kind of like acknowledging how strange it is to have people kind of like own part of your grief in a way,” Styles said.
“I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away. And then suddenly being, you know, like aware of there's maybe like a desire from other people of you to convey that in some way, or it means you're not feeling what you're feeling or something, you know?”
Styles added that it’s “difficult to lose a friend who is like you in so many ways.”
“It's like, I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great. It was a really important moment for me in terms of taking a look at my life and being able to say to myself, ‘OK, what do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live my life?’” he continued. “And I think the greatest way you can honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest. Like super special person and really sad.”
Charges of manslaughter were dropped against three men previously in connection to Payne’s death, but two men, Ezequiel Pereyra and Braian Paiz, are accused of selling the drugs that led to the singer’s passing. If found guilty, the men face four to fourteen years in prison.