Niall Horan is speaking out following the death of his former One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne, saying he is “absolutely devastated at the passing of an amazing friend.”
“It just doesn’t feel real,” Horan wrote early Friday on Instagram alongside a black-heart emoji.
“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,” he recalled fondly.
“All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to 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,” he said.
Horan said he felt “so fortunate” to have recently seen his old bandmate, who was in Argentina when he died because he wanted to see Horan at one of his shows.
“to see one of his shows.”I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
Payne, alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina to see Horan, 31, perform on Oct. 2.
“We’re going to Argentina,” the “Sunshine” singer said in an Instagram Story. “One, because we want to. Two, because we want to. And three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say hello.”
Payne added: “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 nothing like that but we just need to talk.”
The “Strip That Down” singer was spotted on camera at Horan’s concert.
Two weeks later, Payne was found dead after falling from his balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on October 16. Cassidy had fled back to Florida solo just two days prior.
Medical officials said Payne fractured his skull and died from “very serious injuries” following the fall.
Buenos Aires emergency services chief, Alberto Crescenti, said first responders arrived at the hotel after receiving an emergency phone call from the manager.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” the top medic said, according to La Nacion. “The team could do absolutely nothing. There was no resuscitation because it was confirmed that he had died. The whole body had very serious injuries.”
Horan and Payne first met each other when they auditioned on the “The X Factor” in 2010. The pair, alongside Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Harry Styles, were grouped together on the show, spearheaded by Simon Cowell and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger.
Though the boy group came in third place that year, they later went on to sell five studio albums, go on countless tours, and win dozens of accolades from The Brit Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard Awards, Kids Choice Awards, and more.
Malik, 31, left the band to pursue his solo career in 2015. In November of that year, One Direction released their studio album named “Made in the A.M.”
A year later, the rest of the band went on an “indefinite hiatus” and pursued successful solo careers.
Since leaving the band, Horan signed a record label deal in 2016 and released his first solo album “Flicker” in 2017. He released his second album, ” Heartbreak Weather,” in 2020 and “The Show” in 2023.
Styles, 30, also supported Horan during his concert at Co-op Live in Manchester, England in August 2024.
Following the news of Payne’s death, Cowell stopped filming for “Britain’s Got Talent.”
“Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today’s auditions in Blackpool. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” Applause store, which sells tickets for the live show’s filming, wrote on X on Oct. 17.
A spokesperson for the show’s producer also confirmed the show’s postponement to The Herald, saying, “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.”
Payne’s family also released a statement.
“Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul,” they said. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Payne is also survived by his 7-year-old son Bear, with whom he shares with singer Cheryl Cole.