Louis Tomlinson calls Liam Payne’s death ‘unjust and frustrating’

One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson (right) says the death of bandmate Liam Payne (left) was “unjust and frustrating”. Photo / Getty Images

Louis Tomlinson has described Liam Payne’s death as “unjust and frustrating”.

The 33-year-old singer has reflected on the death of his late One Direction bandmate, who died aged 31 on October 16, 2024, when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and admitted the group’s 15th anniversary felt “uncomfortable” given the tragedy almost a year ago.

Speaking to Rolling Stone UK magazine, Tomlinson said: “It was really uncomfortable, actually, the 15th anniversary, because the [collective] feeling to celebrate is as important, if not more important than ever, on behalf of Liam.”

Tomlinson, who was put together in 1D with Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik on The X Factor UK, admitted marking the band’s formation in the past made him feel “sick of nostalgia”, but doing so earlier this year “brought up those feelings” he’s been dealing with since his friend’s death.

Louis Tomlinson says he found One Direction’s 15th anniversary “uncomfortable” because of Liam Payne’s absence. Photo / Getty Images

He said: “You know, there’s still a level in my head [where it feels] unjust and frustrating that he’s not with us anymore.

“So, it just brought up those feelings, although I’m still living with them anyway.”

Tomlinson also explained how Payne’s death hit him harder because he’d “never lost a friend”, despite dealing with grief in the past.

“It was really, really, impossibly difficult for me to deal with losing Liam.

“Naively, I thought that because at this point, I’m relatively well-versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow.

“[That was] super-naive. It’s very different. I’ve never lost a friend before.”

Tomlinson has also taken the time to dispel some misconceptions about his friend, insisting “anything that he got wrong in life” was “only through miscommunication” rather than “malice”.

“He was just a very misunderstood person, I think, from a public perspective,” he said.

“If there is ever any judgment on his character, I think nine times out of 10, you can reflect on that, and the reflection is that he was someone who just wanted to be liked.”