Liam Payne’s death came as a shock to the world when, just days earlier, the singer was hanging out with former bandmate Niall Horan and flew out to see him perform. Opening up about the huge grief he felt over his friend’s passing, the singer told GQ Hype that it didn’t feel real to receive the update, since they had just hung out a few days earlier. This sadness has since turned into a song called End of an Era on their new album, Dinner Party.
Niall Horan breaks silence on the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne
Admitting that he took the grief to heart and went into hiding for a while after the funeral to mourn privately, the 32-year-old said that going through his memories made him feel “nostalgia… as well as fear and sadness and all the things that come with grief.”
After working together as part of One Direction, they have a lot going on that no one knows about. “(There are) memories that only he and I can share because you have a team and you have people around you all the time. But we always said only we have that experience, no one else has.”
The This Town hitmaker enjoyed meeting Liam Payne, who he said was in ‘good form’ and had him laughing just days before his fatal fall. Recalling the moment he was told of his dear friend’s passing, he said, “I just remember getting a message. And I was just like, ‘What?’… I didn’t think it was real. Someone so young, you don’t expect to hear that he’s passed away, especially someone you’ve just seen. I went from shock to sadness to anger.”
About Niall’s song for Liam
Julian Bunetta, who co-wrote the song with Niall Horan, said, “We kept working on it until we felt it was right. And I love it.” “It might be easier not to write about it because it’s a hard topic. It’s a hard thing to do. So I’m proud of her for doing that.”
Niall Horan and his group mates, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, including former member Zayn Malik, reunited in public for the first time at Liam Payne’s funeral.
Also read: Harry Styles recalls struggle and grief over 1D bandmate Liam Payne’s loss of hope: ‘Very difficult’