Harry Styles spoke for the first time about his grief over the death of his friend and former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, saying it made him reevaluate how he really wants to live his life.
The British singer-songwriter opened up about this during an episode of The Zane Lowe Show on Wednesday, March 4.
“I mean, full transparency, it’s something that I — even the idea of talking about it, I struggle with that a little bit even,” he said. “There was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with acknowledging how strange it is to have people, kind of like, own part of your grief in a way.”
He continued: “I have such strong feelings about my friend passing away. And then suddenly being aware [that] there’s maybe 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."
Styles noted that losing a friend is difficult, and even more so when such a friend is “so like you in so many ways.”
“I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great,” he said of Payne.
Reflecting on how he navigated grief right after the late singer’s passing, Styles said, “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?’"
He added: “And I think the greatest way you can honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest."
Payne died on Oct 16, 2024, after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Argentina.
Aside from Payne and Styles, One Direction also consisted of Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
