'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUI/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAzhHEP//EAB0QAQEAAQQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAAMEE8EFEVL/2gAIAQEAAT8AnyXHs6iJeVoS/mQ76ytSmlafbn//xAAWEQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQL/2gAIAQIBAT8Apn//xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEx/9oACAEDAQE/AAKOT//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Wednesday, October 16, Liam Payne died following a seemingly accidental fall from the balcony of his hotel room. Payne was on vacation in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when the accident happened.
Liam Payne gained prominence and fame as a singer during his time in One Direction, one of the bestselling boy bands of all time. Following his unfortunate demise, his former bandmates—Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson—all paid their tributes to him.
Here's a look at Payne's relationship with the former One Direction members.
Liam and Zayn's relationship had a rocky history
While Liam and Zayn were friends as One Direction bandmates, their friendship took a rocky turn following his departure, resulting in the split.
Trending
In 2017, during The Dan Wootton Interview, Payne expressed sadness over the PILLOWTALK singer making negative comments about being in the band, saying:
"If he feels hurt and scorned in some sort of way that I don’t really understand, that’s down to him so there we go... It is very sad because One Direction was a wonderful, wonderful time in all of our lives."
Three years later, on the Killing It podcast, Liam praised the Fingers singer's first solo performance while pointing out that he used to have performance anxiety in One Direction.
Liam Payne added:
"I think he is just kind of happy... He likes going to the studio, making the songs, he just doesn’t want to do anything that happens after that. But he is streaming hugely."
On Thursday, Zayn uploaded an Instagram post paying tribute to Payne, adding that he was "beyond devastated" about the news and would cherish him forever.
Liam Payne was in Argentina to watch Niall Horan perform live before the fall accident
Liam Payne and Niall Horan were the greatest of friends when they were bandmates. However, following the split, the two went on their own and seldom found the opportunity to catch up.
Right before attending Horan's show in Argentina on October 2, 2024, Liam talked about their reunion in a Snapchat video, saying:
"I think we might just go and say hello. It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about. And I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that. But just, we need to talk."
In his tribute to Payne, shared in an Instagram post, the This Town singer remarked on how they had lived their "wildest dreams together" and thanked him for everything.
Payne was one of the first to congratulate Harry Styles on his Grammy
Harry Styles and Liam Payne shared a jovial friendship as bandmates after One Direction split in 2016. While Payne playfully pulled down the Watermelon Sugar singer's trousers mid-performance in 2013, he enjoyed Styles' solo performances in the Jingle Bell Ball six years later.
Liam Payne was also one of the first people to congratulate the As it Was singer in February 2023, as he won his first Grammy for Harry's House. Liam wrote next to Styles' picture receiving the award:
"Wow… this image is really something to wake up to and when you write music like you do Harry you deserve every millisecond of that moment looking down smiling at the trophy you’ve earned... God bless you brother congratulations."
Styles penned a tribute to Liam following his death in an Instagram post, saying he "lived wide open" and was "warm, supportive, and incredibly loving."
Liam Payne wrote a heartfelt congratulatory note for Louis Tomlinson
While Liam and Louis Tomlinson weren't exactly close when they were band-mates, the two became great friends following the split of One Direction.
Speaking to ET Canada about their relationship back in October 2021, the Strip That Down singer confessed:
"Me and Louis did not get along. We all got thrown together, and we didn’t know each other when got made into a band. Now we are actually the best of friends within the band, which I think is absolutely hilarious … I think even in those moments of angst it breathes a connection between you both."
Two years later, in October 2023, when Tomlinson's documentary, All of These Voices, was released, Liam attended its London premiere. He also penned a heartfelt congratulatory note to Tomlinson on Instagram, admitting that seeing the world through his eyes extended the respect Payne had for him.
Payne expressed gratitude for his former band-mates in a candid YouTube video in July 2023
Despite his individual relationships with each One Direction member, Liam Payne was grateful for their presence and company in his life at the end of the day. The singer confirmed just as much on the YouTube video he uploaded on July 9, 2023, saying:
"The rest of the boys really stuck by me when I needed them most, they kinda came to the rescue. Even Zayn, as well, which is why I did send him a little thank you online."
Then, Payne recalled the things he had said about the band back in May 2022 on Logan Paul's podcast, Impaulsive, clarifying:
"A lot of what I said came from the wrong place. I was so angry at what was going on around me and instead of taking a look inwards I decided to look outwards at everybody else and I just think I took it out on everybody else, which is just wrong, really."
Like all relationships, Liam Payne's friendships with his fellow bandmates had ups and downs over the years, but they remained friends ultimately.
