Harry Styles’ Subtle Tribute to Liam Payne Revealed After Speculation He Wrote the ‘Saddest Song’ on His New Album About His Late Bandmate
Harry Styles gave a touching tribute to his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne in the lead-up to his highly anticipated album Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally.
In photos promoting his fourth album, Harry wore a bowling pin print shirt underneath a sweater. One Direction fans know that bowling was one of Liam’s favorite pasttimes and the singer had a floral arrangement of a bowling ball and pins at his funeral.
A lot of fans speculated that the song “Paint by Numbers” would be a tribute to Liam Payne after early reviews described it as the “saddest song” on the album. However, nods to Liam aren’t heard on the album or the song.
What was Harry Styles’ relationship with Liam Payne like before his death?
While Harry and Liam weren’t in constant contact with each other, they chatted each other up occasionally and talked fondly about each other after One Direction broke up.
However, in 2019, Liam did realize that there was a drift between him and the “Watermelon Sugar” singer. “With Harry I just didn’t know anything about him. And that’s not his fault or my fault, it’s just the way that that laid out,” he told The Face Magazine. He did say that there were no hard feelings with each other. “I mean, we spoke, me and Harry caught a laugh every so often. It wasn’t like we never spoke, that we just saw him around, but it was not like I’d see him on the weekend, that we’d go out or anything together.”
The “Strip That Down” singer did acknowledge the different career paths he has taken compared to Harry. “I don’t have nothing against the boy, I think he’s a beautiful, beautiful person, he’s a very lovely person, and you can see that by how many people he meets that get along with him, the general thing you hear coming back is true. And I can say that from my own experience with him but I just haven’t spoken to him for a number of years because of our music–I’m like the antichrist version, to his christness.”
Two years later, Liam Payne talked about how they reconnected after they both played CapitalFM Jingle Bell Ball. “He called me because he has a sixth sense for if I’m struggling or if one of us is in trouble, I feel like,” Liam revealed. “I spoke to him, and it was a really lovely catch up actually. And I’ve got a lot of love for the man. He’s great, he’s really, really great.”
Liam died from polytrauma age 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16, 2024. Harry, as well as his One Direction bandmates Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan, attended his funeral in November 20, 2024 at Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England.
Though the two barely mentioned each other leading up to Liam’s death, Harry posted a poignant tribute to his bandmate. “I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing,” the Don’t Worry Darling star wrote on Instagram. “His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.”
Harry went on to celebrate Liam for all that he was when he was alive. “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving,” he reflected. “The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”
The “As It Was” singer concluded the post, “My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him as I did.”
In an interview with Zane Lowe before the release of Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, Harry talked about the impact of Liam’s death and how he struggled talking about it. “I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with acknowledging how strange it is to have people own part of your grief in a way.”
“I have such strong feelings around my friend passing away and then suddenly being aware of there’s adesire from other people of you to convey that in some way or it means you’re not feeling what you’re feeling or something, he said. “It’s so difficult to lose a friend. It’s difficult to lose any friend, but it’s so difficult to lose a friend who is like you in so many ways. It’s like I saw someone with the kindest heart, who just wanted to be great.
“It was a really important moment for me in terms of taking a look at my life and being able to say to myself, ‘What do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live my life?’ I think the greatest way you can honor your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest.”
