Singer-songwriter Niall Horan is opening up about Liam Payne, saying there is “light and shade” to the grief he feels over the death of his One Direction bandmate.

In a new interview with The Times U.K., Horan remembered spending time with Payne in Argentina just a couple of weeks prior to his death in October 2024.

“I’m glad of that, it means my last memory of him was happy,” Horan said. “It still feels surreal. On day one I was, like, ‘Nah, it didn’t happen.’ Our friendship was a bond that was there forever even if we hadn’t seen each other for a while and it’s wild that one day, like the flick of a switch, he’s gone.”

The Irish musician said he is in touch with Payne’s relatives: “All our families are in touch, they shared those experiences too.”

He continued, “When I think of Liam’s passing, there is sadness, but it also makes me laugh and smirk because of the memories we had. I’ll go to places and think of something stupid in a hotel or something random that makes me laugh. We always had good fun in Australia because we were able to get out and go to the beach. Liam wasn’t too bad at surfing. I can barely swim.”

Horan — who, alongside members Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik, released solo albums in the aftermath of the group’s disbandment — has included a tribute song to Payne on his forthcoming album, Dinner Party, called “End of an Era.”

“We have this shared thing,” he said of his bandmates, “but so do the fans; they had a loss too.”

Payne died at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after falling off a balcony from a hotel’s third floor.

When asked by the publication if One Direction would ever reunite, Horan responded: “God knows. I mean look at Harry there, look at Louis, the boys are flying, so God knows, but everyone still asks about it; it’s exciting.”