In 2024, Liam Payne died at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Harry Styles and his One Direction bandmates attended the funeral, but Harry hasn’t really spoken publicly about how Liam’s death affected him — until now.
In a sit-down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Harry says he felt that fans expected him to express his feelings about losing Liam publicly in some way.
“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,” Harry says.
“I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away. And then suddenly being, you know, like, aware [that] 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?”
“It’s so difficult to lose a friend. It’s difficult to lose any friend, but it’s so difficult to lose a friend who is, like, so like you in so many ways,” Harry continues. “It’s like, I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great.”
Harry also shares that Liam’s death changed the way he lives his own life.
“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 continues. “And I think the greatest way you can honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest.”
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