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

Louis Tomlinson reflected on the death of Liam Paynewho tragically died in Argentina after falling from a hotel balcony in October 2024, praising the influence that the singer had within the One Direction.

In an interview with Rolling Stone UK for the new cover edition, Tomlinson explained that the 15th anniversary of the band’s formation, celebrated earlier this year, was especially difficult as it was the first without Payne.

“It was really uncomfortable, actually, the 15th anniversary, because the feeling [coletivo] to celebrate is just as important — if not more — now, in the name of Liam,” he said.

On previous birthdays of 1D, Tomlinson He says he almost felt “tired of nostalgia”, but this time it was different. “You know, there’s still a part of me that feels like it’s unfair and frustrating that he’s not here anymore. So this brought back those feelings, even though I still live with them anyway.”

“It was really, really, impossibly difficult to deal with the loss of Liam“, he added. “Naively, I thought that because I was already relatively used to dealing with grief for someone my age, this would lessen the impact. It was enormously naive. It’s something very different. I had never lost a friend before.”

Praising the importance of Payne in the group, Tomlinson called him “the safest hands” in the world. One Directionfor having more experience before the band. “We were all such amateurs, but he was already where he needed to be when he auditioned for the first time. [X Factor]” he said. “None of us would admit it at the time, because you have a lot of pride when you’re young, but we all looked up to him like that.”

Tomlinson He also explained that he felt the need to “do his best” with the tribute he shared on social media the day after his death. Payne. He wanted to respond to what he considered to be “profoundly unfair” press coverage of the singer, especially after his appearance on the podcast Impaulsivefrom Logan Paulin 2022, when Payne made some negative comments about his time at One Direction.

“For the record, Liam was, in my opinion, the most vital part of the One Direction“, he wrote Tomlinson one day after the singer’s death. “Your experience from a young age, your perfect pitch, your stage presence, your songwriting talent. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us, Liam.”

“Anyone who [Liam] If you knew him personally, you would know how unfair it was,” he added. “Everything he did wrong in his life — which, in fact, we all do every day — was never out of malice. It was just a lack of communication, not being able to express yourself the way you needed to.”

What he would like fans to know about Payne that you may not yet know?

“He was just a very misunderstood person, I think, from a public perspective,” he said. Tomlinson. “If there is any judgment on his character, I think nine times out of ten it reflects that he was someone who just wanted to be liked.”

This article was originally published on Rolling Stone UK. Subscribe to the print magazine and receive free access to the digital edition.

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