Overview

• Tomlinson tells Rolling Stone UK he is still struggling with Payne’s loss, calling it “really, really, impossibly difficult” and noting he had never before lost a close friend.
• He says One Direction’s 15th anniversary in July felt “really uncomfortable” because marking the milestone carried new weight in Payne’s absence.
• Defending Payne’s character, Tomlinson argues the backlash to Payne’s 2022 Impaulsive podcast appearance was “deeply unfair” and says he was often misunderstood publicly.
• Tomlinson credits Payne as the group’s “safest pair of hands” and “most vital part,” citing his early experience, perfect pitch, stage presence and songwriting.
• Payne, 31, died in October 2024 after a fall from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony; news reports later cited toxicology findings of alcohol and cocaine, and outlets report Tomlinson and Zayn Malik are set to co-star in a Netflix road-trip docuseries with no release date announced.