Harry Styles is still reeling over the “difficult” death of his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.
“Full transparency, it’s like something that I — even the idea of talking about it feel[s] like I struggle with that a little bit, even I think,” the “Watermelon Sugar” crooner said during a candid interview with Apple Music.
“I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with kind of like acknowledging how strange it is to have people kind of like part of your grief in a way,” he added.
Styles, 32, said he had “such strong feelings” about Payne’s death but was aware that there was a “desire from other people” for him to “convey” his emotions publicly.
“It’s so difficult to lose a friend. It’s difficult to lose any friend, but it’s so difficult to lose a friend who is so like you in so many ways,” he shared.
“It’s like I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great,” he added.
The pop star said Payne’s death forced him to take a closer look at his own life.
“What do I want to do with my life? Like, how do I want to live my life? And I think the greatest way you can honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest,” Styles shared.
“Like, super special person and really sad,” he concluded.
Payne died in October 2024 after falling off the balcony of his third-story hotel room in the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
The “What Makes You Beautiful” singer suffered multiple traumas, including a fractured skull, which led to internal and external bleeding.
At the time of Payne’s death, he had a blood-alcohol content that was four times the legal limit and had multiple drugs in his system, including cocaine, crack and benzodiazepine.
In November 2024, Styles, along with his other One Direction bandmates, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, gathered outside of London to lay Payne to rest.
The following February, a court dropped manslaughter charges for three of the five people in connection with Payne’s fatal fall.
Charges against the late singer’s friend Rogelio “Roger” Nores and two CasaSur Palermo hotel employees were dismissed. Ezequiel Pereyra and Braian Paiz, the two men accused of selling Payne cocaine, are still awaiting trial.
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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