Niall Horan questions if he ‘could have done more’ for Liam Payne before his heartbreaking death at 31 – and says he was ‘shocked but not surprised’ by his troubled bandmate’s passing

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Niall Horan has reflected on his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne’s tragic death. 

In October 2024, the world mourned the death of Liam, who passed away at the age of 31. He fell from a balcony on the third floor of the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires. Reports indicated he had been drinking alcohol, had taken cocaine, and was also taking prescribed antidepressants at the time.

He passed away unexpectedly just two weeks after seeing Niall perform in Buenos Aires with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. He had shared heartwarming photos of their time together, which fans worldwide loved.

On the Tommy Tiernan Show, Niall reflected on whether he could have made a difference, wondering if he should have investigated further, or talked to others. He explained that he often finds himself replaying events in his mind, questioning what he could have done differently.

He shared that he’s still grieving the loss of his friend, who struggled with substance abuse. He admitted he was aware his friend was facing some difficulties, but didn’t realize the extent of those struggles.

Niall and Liam rose to prominence on the show The X Factor in 2010, becoming members of the band One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. Simon Cowell brought the group together, and they quickly achieved global success before ultimately disbanding in 2016.

Oh my gosh, when Tommy asked Niall how he felt when he heard the news, Niall just said the very first thing he felt was… shock. Honestly, you could just feel the weight of it even hearing him say that. It was just…shock. It broke my heart all over again.

Niall finished their meeting by sharing a story: about two weeks before, he’d played a concert in Buenos Aires, and their acquaintance had been in the audience. They met and talked for a bit…

He stopped by my hotel for coffee one afternoon, and then came to the show that night, even popping into the dressing room beforehand. It was really good to see him.

After the meeting, the star received the devastating news that his friend had died, learning of it only after finishing his tour. He was completely shocked.

The tour wrapped up—I completed it in Colombia—and roughly a week after that, I finally returned home after being on the road for a long time.

I had just returned home when, late one night, I was getting ready for bed. I quickly checked my phone after receiving a text message, and that’s when I discovered the news…

I was completely shocked. I knew he’d been struggling with some things, but I hadn’t seen him much lately, so I didn’t realize how serious it was. I had a feeling something was wrong, but I didn’t know it was this bad.

Niall shared that he began to feel guilty, explaining that he found himself replaying everything in his mind – trying to understand what happened and why. He admitted he hadn’t even started to come to terms with his grief, as he’d known the person who passed away since childhood and was still struggling with the sudden loss.

It’s natural to replay events in your mind, wondering if you could have done something differently – if you should have investigated further or talked to others. It’s especially difficult when you recently saw the person, and now they’re gone – it’s just hard to process.

Liam talked about his struggles, saying that when people fall apart, it’s often possible to see warning signs in hindsight. That’s why it felt so shocking, even though a part of him wasn’t entirely surprised.

Even so, nothing could have prepared me for discovering it on my phone. Then, almost without thinking, I switched on the news – Sky News, CNN, BBC, and RTE – and it quickly became clear the whole world was reporting on it. It was the leading story everywhere…

It was really unsettling to see photos of us together on the news, especially while I was still trying to understand what was happening.

I’m still trying to process everything. I’ve known him since I was a teenager. We were even roommates for a while when we were both on The X Factor. Now, at 32, he’s sadly passed away.

Liam has an eight-year-old son, Bear, with his ex-partner, Cheryl. He recently shared that Bear was a major source of comfort and strength as he dealt with a difficult loss, saying he often thought about his son during the grieving process.

Following the widespread news of his passing, Niall shared that he made a conscious effort to avoid distractions before the funeral, held in November. Many famous faces were in attendance, including members of One Direction.

Once I accidentally turned on the news, I realized I couldn’t continue watching it. Initially, it showed things like fans, colleagues, and interviews…

I realized I couldn’t handle it. I needed to attend a funeral and was already dealing with my own sadness. I simply didn’t have the emotional energy to care about what others might think.

I’ve decided to tune out all the drama and just cherish my own memories of him. Focusing on the negativity isn’t helping me.

I’m still trying to make sense of it all. It’s unsettling to realize how quickly things can change, especially when someone so close in age to you is here one moment and then suddenly gone. It really makes you think.

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2026-04-06 11:49