In a new interview to the British publication The Times Niall Horan has spoken about the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, noting that he spent time with Payne in Argentina a few weeks before his death.
Payne died on October 16, 2024, after falling from the third floor of a hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31 years old.
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«"I'm glad about that, because it means my last memory of him was a happy one," Horan said in an interview. "It still feels surreal. The first day, I thought, 'No, that didn't happen.' Our friendship was a bond that always existed, even if we didn't see each other for a while, and it's incredible that one day, like a switch flipped, he was gone.".
Horan explained that while Payne's death is "sad," he tries to remember the many wonderful times they shared together.
«"When I think about Liam's death, I'm overcome with sadness, but at the same time, I laugh and grin, remembering our times together," Horan said. "I'll go somewhere and remember some silly thing in the hotel or something random that makes me laugh. We always had fun in Australia because we could go to the beach. Liam was a pretty good surfer. I can barely swim.".
The artist is preparing to release his fourth studio album. Dinner Party , which included a composition dedicated to the memory of Payne.
A song called "End of an Era" prompted Horan to ask what he thought the "Strip That Down" singer would think of it. "I think that's his style, he liked Coldplay, he liked songs like One Direction's 'You & I,' songs that lead to something bigger," he replied.
British boy band One Direction was formed The X Factor show in 2010. The group included Payne, Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. They quickly gained international popularity and remained so until March 2015, when Malik announced his departure from the group. At the beginning of 2016, the group remained a four-piece.
Former One Direction member Styles recently opened up to Zane Lowe about his loss of Payne, saying that after his death, he vowed to live his life to the fullest to honor his memory.
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