Niall Horan is remembering his friend and former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne after he died on Wednesday (October 16) aged 31.
Horan, 31, who reunited with Payne in Argentina just two weeks before his death, posted an emotional statement to Instagram in tribute to the star, alongside a photo of the pair smiling as teenagers in the early days of the boy band.
“I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam,” he wrote. “It just doesn’t feel real. Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure. All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming in mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”
Horan went on to write movingly about seeing Payne at his concert on October 2. “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently,” he shared. “I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking. My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Bear. Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother, Nialler.”
Horan was the last member of One Direction to release a personal statement, following tributes from bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
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Payne, along with on-off girlfriend Kate Cassidy, recently reunited with Horan at the latter’s concert at the Movistar Arena in Argentina on October 2.
“I think we might just go and say hello,” he said in a video posted via X at the time. “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about. And I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that. But just, um, we need to talk.”
Horan and Payne rose to fame as part of One Direction alongside Styles, Malik and Tomlinson in 2010 after they were grouped together by X Factor judge Simon Cowell. The group gained international success almost overnight, releasing five studio albums, including their debut album, Up All Night, Take Me Home and their fifth and final full-length album, Made in the A.M. 1D maintained their superstar status until the band went on hiatus in 2016.
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All five members went on to pursue solo careers, and they have occasionally reunited at each other’s shows.
In addition to their recent reunion, Payne and Horan linked up in 2017 at the ZPL Birthday Bash concert, where they both performed their solo music. Payne released one studio album, LP1, in December 2019. He also released two EPs in 2018 and 2020, and 14 singles on his own.
In addition to his solo career, Payne started a family, welcoming son Bear with Cheryl Cole in March 2017. He and Cole split in 2018, announcing their breakup via social media. He was dating Cassidy at the time of his death.
