Niall Horan has said he felt “fear, sadness and all the stuff that comes with grief” following Liam Payne‘s death.
Speaking to GQ, Horan has opened up about his memories of his late One Direction bandmate, who died aged 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2024. Horan told the publication he met Payne in the Argentinian capital just days before his death.
The Irish singer was touring in South America, while Payne was renewing his US visa in the city, but scheduled the trip to see Horan. Horan recalled the catch up was “great”, adding that Payne “seemed in good form and we had a good laugh, good reminisce.”
But as Horan concluded his South American tour, Payne stayed in Argentina due to delays with his visa renewal. He then fell to his death from the third floor of a hotel on October 16; a judge ruled the singer jumped to make an escape while in a drugged state.
Horan told GQ he learned of Payne’s death while watching TV in bed at home, adding: “I just remember getting a message, and I was just like, What?… I just didn’t think it was real. Someone so young, you’re not expecting to hear that they’ve passed, especially someone that you’ve just seen. I just went back from shock to sadness to anger.”
Niall Horan on Liam Payne https://t.co/Eozg6ZXo6a pic.twitter.com/F3RwZ6qrC6
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) March 19, 2026
Horan went on to recall seeing “lots of photos and videos and things of us growing up together. And being nostalgic about it straight away, along with fear and sadness and all the stuff that comes with grief.” He also told GQ of his memories of sharing a room with Payne before they were officially paired up as part of One Direction.
“I just got to know him a little bit and then we ended up doing what we did together,” Horan said. “Memories that only he and I can share ’cause you have a team and you have people around all the time, but we always said that only us have that experience, no one else has that.”
Horan also told the outlet that, following Payne’s funeral, he “went into hiding a little bit” to grieve, which he wrote about on an upcoming song called ‘End Of An Era’. GQ reports the lyrics as such: “We had it / Pure magic / Remember what it was like / Time passes / So fast and / I couldn’t tell you goodbye.”
The song appears on Horan’s upcoming album ‘Dinner Party‘, due to arrive on June 5.
my brand new album ‘dinner party’ will be yours june 5th .
pre-order now at https://t.co/gfs2tt05iW pic.twitter.com/SxRZ28Ythx
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) March 18, 2026
Days after Payne’s death, Horan paid tribute to the singer on social media, writing: “I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real.
“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure.”
He added that he had seen Payne shortly before his death: “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”
He ended the statement by sharing his “love and condolences” to Payne’s family and his son, Bear.
Elsewhere, Harry Styles says former bandmate Liam Payne’s death made him re-evaluate how he saw life.
