Niall Horan has opened up how he dealt with the death of his former One Direction band mate Liam Payne, saying “I was just in pure shock”.
Appearing on Saturday night’s Tommy Tiernan Show on RTÉ One, the 32-year-old singer from Mullingar recalled the day Payne fell to his death a hotel in Buenos Ares in October 2024.
Horan spoke about how he had been in the Argentinian city on tour and met Payne a fortnight before his death. Payne also attended Horan’s show and visited his dressing room that evening.
Liam Payne
On his return home, Horan received the news that his band mate had died in tragic circumstances.
“I was just in pure shock,” Horan said, “And I knew he’d had a couple of issues, but because I wasn’t around him like I was in previous years, all the time, I didn’t realise to what extent or anything like that.
“I knew there was some stuff going on but I wasn’t aware of the depth. And then you go through the stages of grief that I probably haven’t touched the sides on yet. You know, I grew up with this fella, and all of a sudden it’s no more.”
He added, “It’s such a strange thing you go through. Like, what could I have done if I’d known more? Should I have dug more into it? I just kept thinking about his little son and things like that.”
Horan, who is about to release his new album, Dinner Party, also spoke about how he became part of One Direction when he was aged 16 after they were formed on X-Factor in 2010.
“Then that was basically it. I barely came home after that,” he said.
The band went on hiatus in 2016 and all five members went on to pursue solo careers, with Horan having released three albums to date.
He also said that he loves waving the flag for Ireland with his career.
Horan, who also owns a golf management company, said “things are just in a nice little spot”.
Speaking about his hometown of Mullingar, he added, “I think I’d be very lucky to feel that the town has a sense of pride over me and nearly an ownership over men you know – ah, that’s a great feeling. I just love that, love that town, the people in it, the characters.
“It’s the kind of place you leave and then you just slot back into, like this country in general to be honest. You travel all over this place and it just feels like one big pat on the back.”
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