Amid the rollout for his new album “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.,” Harry Styles opened up about the loss of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, telling Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that it made him want to “[live] your life to the fullest.”
Styles was discussing how artists are all “ordinary people” when Lowe mentioned that it made him think of Payne and “people who struggled to get out of extraordinary situations.”
“I struggle with that a little bit even,” responded Styles. “I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with kind of like acknowledging how strange it is to have people kind of like own part of your grief in a way. I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away. And then suddenly being, you know, like aware of there’s maybe like a desire from other people of you to convey that in some way, or it means you’re not feeling what you’re feeling or something, you know?”
Styles continued by sharing how Payne’s death in October 2024 impacted him and led him to examine how he wanted to navigate his own life. “It’s so difficult to lose a friend. It’s difficult to lose any friend, but it’s so difficult to lose a friend who is so like you in so many ways,” he said. “It’s like, I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great. It was a really important moment for me in terms of taking a look at my life and being able to say to myself, ‘OK, what do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live my life?’ And I think the greatest way you can honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest. Like super special person and really sad.”
Following Payne’s death, Styles shared a statement along with his fellow One Direction members — Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson — stating that they were “devastated” to learn of his passing. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
Watch the interview below:
From Variety US
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