Louis Tomlinson reflects on Liam Payne’s death for the first time in Rolling Stone UK shoot as he admits he thought he was ‘well versed in grief’ after losing his mum and sister

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Louis Tomlinson has reflected on the death of friend and former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.  

In October 2024, 31-year-old Liam died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Tests later showed he had alcohol, cocaine, and an antidepressant in his system at the time of his death.

Liam and Louis, both 33, rose to fame with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik after appearing on the X Factor in 2010 as members of the band One Direction.

Louis Tomlinson recently told Rolling Stone UK he’s still upset about the death of his brother, Liam, and feels frustrated that he’s no longer with them.

Losing Liam was incredibly painful. I mistakenly believed my experience with grief would help me cope, but it didn’t make it any easier.

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

Louis experienced profound loss in recent years. His mother, Johannah, passed away in 2016 at the age of 43 after a battle with leukemia, and his younger sister, Félicité, tragically died in 2019 at just 18 years old from an accidental drug overdose.

Louis shared that celebrating the band’s 15th anniversary this year was difficult, as it was the first one they marked without Liam.

You know, the 15th anniversary was a bit tricky, honestly. It wasn’t about just *having* a celebration, but really feeling that collective joy – and that’s especially important when you’re thinking about it from Liam’s perspective. It needed to *feel* right, and that was a challenge.

It still feels unfair and upsetting to me that he’s gone, and hearing about it just brought those feelings back to the surface, even though I deal with them every day.

Louis praised Liam’s importance to the band, calling him essential because of his incredible singing ability, captivating performance skills, and talent for songwriting.

The singer of ‘Just Hold On’ also revealed that he and the other members of the group admired Liam early in their careers, as he had the most experience at that time, especially during their time on The X Factor.

Following the recent passing of Liam, two former members of One Direction are set to appear together in a new, significant Netflix series that will reportedly cover his life and death.

Filming for the documentary has begun, and it’s bringing Zayn and Louis together in a deal worth millions of pounds.

The two singers are embarking on a US road trip where they’ll share stories about their lives and reminisce about their time together in the band.

Although the show is still in development, it’s planned to launch next year, marking ten years since One Direction went their separate ways.

People involved with the show say Zayn, age 32, and Louis will probably talk about the sad passing of their friend and former bandmate, Liam.

His death after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires last October is thought to have brought the band – including Niall and Harry – closer together.

One Direction became incredibly famous after competing on the X Factor in 2010, and they’ve sold over 70 million records around the world.

The group has received incredible recognition, winning nearly 200 awards throughout their career. These include seven Brit Awards, four MTV Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, and an impressive 28 Kids’ Choice Awards.

Zayn has been living in the United States full-time since 2018. Louis also spends a lot of time there, largely because of his nine-year-old son, who he shares with stylist Briana Jungwirth.

Louis and Zayn have rekindled their friendship. Earlier this year, Zayn publicly acknowledged Louis’s support by thanking him after he came to his concert in Los Angeles at the Shrine Exposition Hall.

His relationship with his old bandmates became strained when he quit the band in March 2015. 

He later explained that over time, the group became tired of being around each other, and he hadn’t kept in close contact with them after they went their separate ways.

Okay, so it’s just… heartbreaking. Nicole Sherzinger actually *shared* the very last text Liam sent her, the one he sent the day he passed away. I can’t even imagine how difficult that must have been for her, and honestly, it’s just devastating to know those were his last words. I’ve been following their journey together for so long, and this just… it’s a lot.

One Direction began as a band formed on the UK version of The X Factor, with Nicole Scherzinger as one of the judges.

Nicole Scherzinger, 47, mentored Liam and continued to support him until his untimely death at age 31 in Buenos Aires last year.

Despite the devastating news, Nicole performed in that night’s performance of Sunset Boulevard, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. He later shared that she had sent a text message to Liam on the day he died.

Nicole recently shared details of her conversation with the rising star she mentored in an interview with The Times of London.

She revealed she’d previously learned he was in Argentina, but described the conversation as casual and brief. She shared this information in a new interview published this week.

For one of his final projects, Liam collaborated with Nicole on a reality show called Building the Band, where they both mentored contestants alongside Kelly Rowland, similar to The X Factor.

Nicole explained she immediately liked Liam, describing him as a genuinely kind person. She admitted she didn’t know him well when she formed One Direction, but recognized the boys’ talent and, having been in a girl group herself, understood how powerful a group dynamic could be.

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2025-10-07 18:50