Louis Tomlinson has opened up about the profound impact of Liam Payne‘s death, describing the loss as “impossibly difficult” in a new cover interview with Rolling Stone UK.
Payne died tragically in Argentina after falling from a hotel balcony in October 2024, leaving his former One Direction bandmates and millions of fans devastated.
The timing of Payne’s death coincided with One Direction’s 15th anniversary, creating a particularly challenging period for Tomlinson. “It was really uncomfortable, actually, the 15th anniversary, because the feeling to celebrate is as important, if not more important than ever, on behalf of Liam,” he explained (as per Rolling Stone).
Unlike previous anniversaries where Tomlinson admitted feeling “sick of nostalgia,” this milestone carried different weight. “There’s still a level in my head where it feels unjust and frustrating that he’s not with us anymore. So, it just brought up those feelings, although I’m still living with them anyway.”
Tomlinson’s experience with grief from previous losses didn’t prepare him for this particular devastation. “Naively, I thought that because at this point, I’m relatively well-versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow. That was super-naive. It’s very different. I’ve never lost a friend before.”
The interview highlighted Payne’s crucial role within One Direction, with Tomlinson describing him as the group’s “safest pair of hands.” Payne’s pre-X Factor experience set him apart from his bandmates, who were considerably less polished when the group formed. “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.”
Tomlinson felt compelled to address what he perceived as unfair media coverage of Payne, particularly following a controversial 2022 appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast where Payne shared negative memories about his One Direction experience. The tribute Tomlinson posted the day after Payne’s death was deliberately crafted to counter this narrative.
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“For the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction,” Tomlinson wrote. “His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us, Liam.”
Tomlinson emphasised that anyone who knew Payne personally understood how “deeply unfair” the negative coverage was. “Anything that he got wrong in life, Liam – which, by the way, we all do daily – it was never through malice. It was only through miscommunication — him just not being able to express himself in the way he needed to.”
When asked what fans should know about Payne that might not be public knowledge, Tomlinson painted a picture of someone fundamentally misunderstood. “He was just a very misunderstood person, I think, from a public perspective. If there is ever any judgment on his character, I think nine times out of 10, you can reflect on that, and the reflection is that he was someone who just wanted to be liked.”
