Louis Tomlinson reflects on Liam Payne’s death: ‘It was impossibly difficult’

Louis Tomlinson has reflected on the death of Liam Payne, while hailing the late singer’s influence within One Direction.

Payne died tragically in Argentina after falling from a hotel balcony in October 2024.

Speaking to Rolling Stone UK for his new cover interview, Tomlinson explained how the 15th anniversary of the band’s formation earlier this year had proved tough because it was the first one to be celebrated without him.

“It was really uncomfortable, actually, the 15th anniversary, because the [collective] feeling to celebrate is as important, if not more important than ever, on behalf of Liam,” he said.

On previous 1D anniversaries, Tomlinson says he almost felt a bit “sick of nostalgia”, but this time, it hit different. “You know, there’s still a level in my head [where it feels] unjust and frustrating that he’s not with us anymore. So, it just brought up those feelings, although I’m still living with them anyway.”

“It was really, really, impossibly difficult for me to deal with losing Liam,” he added. “Naively, I thought that because at this point, I’m relatively well versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow. [That was] super-naive. It’s very different. I’ve never lost a friend before.”

Hailing his influence in the group, he hailed Liam as the “safest pair of hands” because he had the most pre-1D experience. “We were all just so amateur, but he was already where he needed to be by the time he did his first [X Factor] audition,” he said. “None of us would have admitted it at the time, because you have a lot of pride as a young lad, but we all looked up to him like that.”

Tomlinson also explained how he felt a need to “set the record straight” when he paid tribute to Payne on social media a day after his death, in order to correct what he viewed as “deeply unfair” press that his friend had received, particularly in the wake of a 2022 appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, during which he shared some negative memories about his time in One Direction. .

“For the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction,” he wrote a day after Payne’s passing. “His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us, Liam.”

“Anyone who knew him [Liam] personally would know how deeply unfair that was,” he said. “Anything that he got wrong in life, Liam – which, by the way, we all do daily – it was never through malice. It was only through miscommunication – him just not being able to express himself in the way he needed to.”

What would he like fans to know about Payne that they might not know already?

“He was just a very misunderstood person, I think, from a public perspective,” said Tomlinson. “If there is ever any judgment on his character, I think nine times out of 10, you can reflect on that, and the reflection is that he was someone who just wanted to be liked.”

Issue 24 of Rolling Stone UK with Louis Tomlinson will drop in print on October 9. The full cover story will arrive online in the week after. You can pre-order the magazine here.