Niall Horan wonders about helping Liam Payne before his death

Niall Horan has shared his ongoing heartbreak following the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.

The singer reflected on his grief during an appearance on The Tommy Tiernan Show, admitting he still questions whether he could have done more for Payne before his untimely passing. 

“You start asking yourself: What could I have done? Should I have looked into things more? Should I have spoken to other people? You go through all of that,” Horan said.

Payne, 31, died in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, just two weeks after attending one of Horan’s concerts in the Argentinian capital. His death has been partially linked to struggles with substance abuse.

Horan described his initial reaction as “pure shock,” noting that while he had been aware of some of Payne’s personal issues, he had not realized their severity. “I knew something was going on, but not how deep it was,” he said.

The singer recalled the surreal experience of seeing news coverage of his friend’s death, including photos of the two of them together. 

“That felt very strange—seeing those images while trying to process everything,” Horan said. He admitted he quickly had to detach from the media frenzy to focus on his own grief. 

“I’ve got a funeral to go to. I have my own grief to deal with. I can’t be worrying about what people are going to say next… All of that noise became irrelevant to me.”

Horan said he has not yet fully processed Payne’s passing, reflecting on the fragility of life. 

“It’s a strange thing to be in your thirties and realize that someone just a couple of weeks older than you can be here one day and gone the next,” he explained.

Despite the heartbreak, Horan emphasized his desire to hold onto personal memories of Payne rather than focus on the outside noise. 

“I want to hold on to my own memories of him, rather than focus on the negativity,” he said.