Louis Tomlinson reflects on the pain of losing his former One Direction his bandmate, Liam Payne, a year after the singer’s death.
In a new interview with The IndependentThe 33-year-old has spoken about his grief since Payne’s death in October 2024 at the age of 31.
“I naively thought that at this point I would unfortunately be a little more comfortable with grieving than other people my age. I thought that might mean something, but that’s not the case at all,” Tomlinson said, referring to the earlier losses of his mother, Johannah Deakin, who died of cancer in 2016, and his sister, Félicité, who died in 2019 from a accidental overdose.
“It’s something I’ll never really accept, I don’t think,” he added.
Tomlinson fondly remembered Payne as someone who could always make him laugh. “Liam would always entertain me. If I was bored and wanted to laugh, he would play that role,” he said.
He also praised Payne’s loyalty and kindness, noting that his late friend always showed up for him, whether during Tomlinson’s tenure as a judge on The X factor or at the premiere of his 2023 documentary, All these voices.
“This is in no way a comment aimed at other boys, but I know if it were me I would have struggled with the idea. [would have been] a feeling of inferiority there, because you’re the guest,” Tomlinson admitted.
“But whenever Liam had an opportunity like this, he was always there for me. Even though he might have been struggling, he put himself second and still showed up. Those moments really spoke to the truth of who he was as a person.”
The tragedy also brought others One Direction closer members, he said, referring to Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
“The best types of friends are the ones where, when you get together, it’s like no time has passed,” he explained. “It’s also just amazing to see everyone doing so well.”
One directiontrained on The X Factor UK in 2010, became one of the biggest pop groups of the decade before Payne died on October 16, 2024, following a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be “polytrauma,” meaning multiple injuries affecting multiple organs and systems.
