One Direction star Louis Tomlinson has recalled the moment he discovered his former band member Liam Payne had tragically died—just as he was pulling into the driveway of his home.
Tomlinson, 33, opened up about the traumatizing phone call that revealed that Payne, who passed away in October 2024 at the age of 31, was dead, in a wide-ranging interview with host of the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Steven Bartlett.
The singer revealed that he “found out through” fellow-bandmate Niall Horan while he was in “in the car” in Los Angeles, having just arrived home from dropping off his son, Freddie Reign, 9—who he shares with his ex, Briana Jungwirth—at school.
“I was in the car in L.A. and I just dropped Freddie off at school, my son, and we were just about to pull back at home,” he shared.
“It was actually, I found out through Niall. I think Niall said, ‘Lad have you seen the news?’ and I knew as soon as he said that, I kind of knew what he may have meant.
The singer went on to reveal that hearing about Payne’s passing brought up devastating memories of when his sister, Félicité, died of an accidental overdose at the age of 18 in 2019.
“I had a similar feeling that I had with Félicité. And I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling—my 150% wasn’t nearly enough,” he added.
The singer noted that Payne was “definitely struggling at that time in his life.”
“And that’s when it’s my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped really, because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him,” he conceded.
The hitmaker went onto tell the podcast host that he wanted Payne “to be remembered the way that he should be remembered.”
“I could just go on and talk all day about how amazing he was, but I think we all looked up to him. I don’t think we would have been brave enough to say at that age when I was in the band, I think I would’ve had too much pride, but we all looked up to him massively,” he added.
Payne passed away after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Argentina. His cause of death was determined to be several injuries, and internal and external hemorrhaging. Toxicology results revealed that he had alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system.
At the time of Payne’s death, Tomlinson shared a message on social media, writing that he had “lost a brother.”
“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 said in the social media post.
In the weeks following his death, Payne’s former bandmates, which included Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Horan, released a joint statement about his passing, revealing that they were “completely devastated” by the loss.
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” they wrote.
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. 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.”
Although Tomlinson’s main residence is in England, he previously owned a Spanish Colonial-inspired dwelling in the Hollywood Hills, which he snapped up in 2016 for $7.3 million.
The property sprawled across 6,000 square feet and came complete with four bedrooms.
He eventually sold the home in 2020 for $6.43 million, and it is unclear which home in Los Angeles he was referencing in the podcast.
