Louis Tomlinson has spoken about the impact of Liam Payne's death on the remaining members of One Direction, revealing that the tragedy has brought them closer. Payne passed away in October 2024 at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In a recent interview, Tomlinson, 33, reflected on the difficulty of grappling with Payne's sudden death. "It was really, really, impossibly difficult for me to deal with losing Liam," he admitted. He confessed that he naively believed his prior experiences with grief—having lost his mother, Johannah Deakin, to leukemia in 2016 and his sister, Félicité, to an accidental overdose in 2019—might have prepared him for this loss. "Naively, I thought that because at this point, I'm relatively well-versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow," Tomlinson said. "That was super-naive. It's very different. I've never lost a friend before".

Tomlinson revealed that he learned of Payne's death from their former bandmate, Niall Horan, while in Los Angeles. He was in his car after dropping his son, Freddie, off at school. The news evoked similar feelings to those he experienced when his sister, Félicité, passed away.

The 15th anniversary of One Direction in July was particularly difficult, as it highlighted Payne's absence. "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," Tomlinson explained. He added, "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".

Despite the challenges, Tomlinson noted that Payne's death has strengthened the bond between the remaining members of One Direction. "The best kind of friends are the ones where, when you eventually do meet up, it's like no time has passed," he said, while acknowledging the difficulty in aligning their schedules. "It's also just amazing to see everyone doing so well in their own right".

Tomlinson also addressed the public perception of Payne, describing him as "misunderstood". He felt the need to "set the record straight" following Payne's death, particularly in response to what he saw as unfair criticism stemming from a 2022 appearance on Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast. Tomlinson emphasized Payne's vital role in One Direction, citing his experience, perfect pitch, stage presence, and songwriting ability. "For the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction," Tomlinson wrote in a social media tribute. "His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on".

Tomlinson is currently promoting his new solo single and preparing to release his next album, "How Did We Get Here?". He is also collaborating with Zayn Malik on a new Netflix docuseries.