Niall Horan Says There's a 'Light and Shade' to Late Bandmate Liam Payne's Death: 'Still Feels Surreal'
Niall Horan Says There's a 'Light and Shade' to Late Bandmate Liam Payne's Death: 'Still Feels Surreal'
Ilana KaplanMon, June 1, 2026 at 3:42 PM UTC
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Liam Payne and Niall Horan in December 2017 in Inglewood, Calif.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
Key Takeaways
Niall Horan reflected on the loss of Liam Payne
In an interview with the Times UK, the former One Direction member said losing his late bandmate "still feels surreal"
Horan's latest single "End of an Era" was inspired by his grief and memories of Payne
Niall Horan opened up about how shocking Liam Payne's death still feels for him.
In an interview with the Times UK, the Irish native opened up about the loss of his late One Direction bandmate, who died in October 2024 at age 31.
Horan, 32, recalled being with Payne a few weeks before he died.
“I'm glad of that, it means my last memory of him was happy,” he told the publication. “It still feels surreal. On day one I was, like, ‘Nah, it didn't happen.' Our friendship was a bond that was there forever even if we hadn't seen each other for a while and it's wild that one day, like the flick of a switch, he's gone.”
According to Horan, since the "Strip That Down" artist's death, “all our families” have been in touch as they process their grief. He noted that there is a “light and shade” to losing Payne.
“When I think of Liam's passing, there is sadness, but it also makes me laugh and smirk because of the memories we had,” he said. “I'll go to places and think of something stupid in a hotel or something random that makes me laugh."
Horan continued, "We always had good fun in Australia because we were able to get out and go to the beach. Liam wasn't too bad at surfing. I can barely swim.”
On May 22, Horan released his latest single "End of an Era," which reflects on his friendship with Payne, who died in October 2024 at age 31.
"We had it, pure magic / Remember what it was like / Time passes so fast that / I couldn't tell you goodbye," the "Dinner Party" artist sings on the track.
Later in the lyrics, he mentions how "things change overnight" and the "footsteps we can't rewind."
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In a March interview with GQ Hype, Horan said that "End of an Era" was a lullaby inspired by the grief of losing his friend.
He recalled going "into hiding a little bit" after Payne's funeral so he could privately grieve. While going through videos and photos of them together, Horan also said he experienced nostalgia, fear and sadness.
"[There are] memories that only he and I can share ‘cause you have a team and you have people around all the time,” he told the publication. “But we always said that only us have that experience, no one else has that."
Horan mentioned he had spent time with his former bandmate days before his death in Buenos Aires.
Niall Horan and Liam Payne in December 2015 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
"It was great," he told GQ Hype. "[He] seemed in good form and we had a good laugh, good reminisce."
Horan recalled learning about Payne's death while watching TV in bed at home.
"I just remember getting a message. And I was just like, 'What?'... I just didn't think it was real," he said.
Horan continued, "Someone so young, you're not expecting to hear that they've passed, especially someone that you've just seen. I just went back from shock to sadness to anger."
After initially hearing about Payne's death, the "Heaven" performer wrote on social media that he was “absolutely devastated” by the loss.
Horan's new album Dinner Party is out June 5.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
