Niall Horan has shared that he "went into hiding" following Liam Payne's funeral in order to properly grieve his friend. The singer's One Direction bandmate tragically died in Buenos Aires in October 2024 shortly after the pair had met up in the Argentinian city.
In a new interview with GQ magazine, Niall, 32, revealed that they had seen one another when he was in town to tour and Liam, who was 31 when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony, was there for a routine visa renewal. He recalled: "We had a good laugh, good reminisce."
While Niall left the country to continue his tour in South America, Liam stayed on. The former star received the heartbreaking news about his friend - who shared young son Bear with Cheryl Tweedy - while he was watching TV in bed.
He said: "I just remember getting a message. And I was just like, What?... I just didn't think it was real. 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."
© Getty Images for iHeartMediaNiall joined their fellow bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson at Liam's funeral in Buckinghamshire the following month. He said he then "went into hiding a little bit" to grieve.
For his new solo album 'Dinner Party', he has written a song called 'End Of An Era' which he told the magazine is also part of the ongoing healing process. He said that there are many "memories that only [Liam] and I can share 'cause you have a team and you have people around all the time, but we always said that only us have that experience, no one else has that".
Liam's death
At the time, Niall - who was placed in the band alongside Liam, as well as Harry, 32, Zayn, 33, and Louis, 34, in 2010 - released a statement paying tribute. "I'm absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn't feel real," he shared.
© AFP via Getty Images
© Getty Images"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. 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.
"I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn't know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It's heartbreaking. My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Bear. Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother. Nialler."
