Louis Tomlinson says Liam Payne’s death brought One Direction closer

Louis Tomlinson is still working through his grief one year after Liam Payne’s death.

The former One Direction band member told the Independent in an interview published Saturday that Payne’s Oct. 16, 2024 death “definitely” brought himself, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan closer.

“The best kind of friends are the ones where, when you eventually do meet up, it’s like no time has passed,” he said, noting that they sometimes have trouble coordinating their schedules. “It’s also just amazing to see everyone doing so well in their own right.”

Tomlinson, 33, also divulged that he will “never accept” Payne’s tragic death at the age of 31.

“I naively thought that, at this point, I’d unfortunately be a little bit more well versed with grief than other people my age,” he told the outlet, referring to the 2016 death of his mother Joanna Deakins and the 2019 death of his sister Félicité at just 18.

“I thought that might mean something, but it didn’t at all.”

Of Payne’s death, he told the Independent as his eyes teared up, “It’s something I’ll never really accept. I don’t think.”

Tomlinson and Malik, for their part, are reportedly reuniting for a Netflix documentary, during which they’ll hit the road and reflect on their time with the band — and their memories of Payne — according to the Sun.

Per the outlet’s Oct. 1 report, filming has already commenced, with a projected release date in 2026. The outlet also claimed the pair had struck a multimillion dollar deal for their participation in the reported project.

Tomlinson’s comments come two days after the first anniversary of Payne’s death. The singer perished after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina and suffering fatal injuries.

Following Payne’s death, the former boy band members issued a rare joint statement grieving the loss. “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they told Page Six one day after the tragedy.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” they added. “For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam.” In his own statement via Instagram, Tomlinson wrote that he’d “Lost a brother.”

“Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul,” he wrote in part.

“I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life,” he continued.

“I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”