A look inside Liam Payne’s bond with his former One Direction members

From the moment One Direction was formed, Liam Payne found himself with four extra brothers for life.

Thanks to the creative minds of The X Factor Britain judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger And Louis Walsh, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Payne came together in 2010 to create a life-changing boy band.

Before Payne passed away in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, October 16, the 31-year-old singer shared a special bond with his bandmates that lasted long after their indefinite hiatus began in 2016.

“I spoke to Harry and it was really nice,” Payne said in a June 2021 Instagram Live. “I spoke to him and it was actually a very nice conversation. And I have a lot of love for the man. He’s great, he’s really great.”

Related: Former One Direction Members: Where Are They Now?

One Direction may be on an extended hiatus, but Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik have continued to make music – and make headlines – over the years. After finishing in third place on the British version of The X Factor in 2010, One Direction released four successful studios (…)

However, in May 2022, Payne made headlines when he appeared on the ‘Impaulsive’ podcast with host Logan Paul and seemingly throwing shade at his bandmates by claiming his 2017 debut solo single, “Strip That Down,” “outdid everyone in the band.” He also said there are “a lot of reasons why I hate Zayn.”

A month later, Payne clarified in a post via X that he “didn’t express myself as well as I could have.”

“I said there will always be things we disagree on, but I will always be on his side,” he added. “That’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever.”

There didn’t seem to be any hard feelings between Payne and Tomlinson, 32, after the podcast. At the March 2023 London premiere of Tomlinson’s documentary All those voicesPayne praised his friend for all his achievements on and off stage.

“Seeing the world through your eyes last night was the most beautiful thing to experience,” he wrote via Instagram. “My neck hurts from how much I look up to you right now. You were already my friend and brother, but looking through that window into your world and mind only increases the respect I have for you.

“I’m so grateful to have you in my life, buddy,” Payne continued. “I feel so lucky and I know you know this but you were part of a small group of people who literally saved my life, you got me out of something so dark I never shared it but your approach is something that I admire and aspire to so that one day I can do the same.”

Tomlinson expressed his appreciation for Payne’s presence, writing via X: ‘It means the absolute world. I love you boy!”

In July 2023, Payne posted a candid YouTube video detailing his everlasting bond with the rest of One Direction. In the clip, the singer expressed his gratitude to his bandmates for helping him through a difficult time in his life — even after saying some not-so-nice things.

“The rest of the guys continued to support me when I needed them most, they came to my rescue,” he said. “Even Zayn too, which is why I sent him a thank you note online. … A lot of what I said came from the wrong place. I was so angry at what was happening around me and instead of looking inward, I decided to look outward at everyone else, and I think I took it out on everyone else, which is actually just wrong.

Before his death, Payne was spotted at several of his former bandmates’ concerts, including Tomlinson’s Buenos Aires show in April and Horan’s. The show tour on October 2.