Niall Horan didn't think Liam Payne’s death ‘was real’

Niall Horan has revealed he initially disbelieved the news of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne’s death. The 32-year-old singer shared that he had met Payne, who was 31, just weeks before his tragic passing in October 2024, after one of Horan’s concerts in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Speaking to GQ magazine, Horan recounted his reaction: "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."

Payne died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. His surviving bandmates – Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik – reunited at his funeral the following November, alongside former manager Simon Cowell.

Reflecting on their final meeting, Horan said: "It was great, (he) seemed in good form and we had a good laugh, good reminisce. I heard Louis talking about this recently, it’s so true. It’s like you haven’t seen each other in ages and then you just fall back in like it was 10 years ago."

Horan admitted to feeling nostalgic, as well as "fear and sadness," after Payne’s death, adding that he "went into hiding a little bit" following the funeral.

His fourth studio album, Dinner Party, is set for release in June and reportedly features a track titled End Of An Era, believed to be about Payne.

One Direction, formed by Cowell on The X Factor in 2010, achieved four UK number one singles and albums, known for hits like What Makes You Beautiful. Horan launched his solo career after the band’s hiatus in 2016, following Malik’s departure in 2015, releasing albums including Flicker and The Show.