Louis Tomlinson said Liam Payne was “definitely struggling” in the time leading up to his death.
The singer opened up about the death of his former One Direction bandmate during a new interview on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, recalling how he learned of Payne’s death while “in the car, in L.A.,” after receiving a call from fellow bandmate Niall Horan.
Payne died at age 31 on Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“I had the same feeling that I had with Félicité,” Tomlinson said, referring to his younger sister who died at age 18 in 2019.
“And I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling — my 150% wasn’t nearly enough. And that’s when it’s my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped really, because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him.”
Tomlinson added, “He was definitely struggling at that time in his life.”
Following Payne’s death, Tomlinson shared a public tribute on Instagram, posting a photo of them together and writing that he was “beyond devastated” to have “lost a brother.”
He described Payne as “such a positive, funny and kind soul.”
In his message, Tomlinson addressed Payne directly: “I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”
Tomlinson said writing that post was his way of ensuring Payne’s legacy was remembered properly.
“When I put up my post about him, I really wanted him to be remembered the way that he should be remembered,” he said. “I could just go on and talk all day about how amazing he was, but I think we all looked up to him. I don’t think we would have been brave enough to say at that age when I was in the band, I think I would’ve had too much pride, but we all looked up to him massively.”
Tomlinson’s upcoming album, “How Did I Get Here?”, will be released on Jan. 23, 2026. Its first single, “Lemonade,” is out now.
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