Louis Tomlinson recalls moment he found out Liam Payne’s death

Louis Tomlinson broke silence about the most difficult time of his life when he learned about the death of his best friend, Liam Payne.

Payne passed away last year on October 16 after falling off a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In a recent podcast episode of the Dairy of CEO podcast, the Walls singer recounted the heart-breaking moment when he learned about the untimely death of Payne from his fellow bandmate Niall Horan.

"I found out through Niall," he revealed, sharing that he was "in the car, in L.A." when he received the call.

The Two of Us crooner expressed the deep regret over being unable to help Payne, the same way as his sister Félicité, who died at age of 18 after being overdosed on cocaine, anxiety drugs and painkillers.

"I had the same feeling that I had with Félicité," he said. "And I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling, my 150% wasn’t nearly enough."

Tomlinson admitted that he once believed he could have helped Payne, calling it "my own arrogance." He went on to acknowledge Payne's struggles were "so much deeper than what I could have done for him."

"He was definitely struggling at that time in his life," Tomlinson added.

Following the tragedy, Tomlinson reunited with former One Direction member Zayn Malik. The two after several of hangouts have signed a multi-million dollar on Netflix for a three-part docuseries reflecting on their time with Payne and his death.

It is expected to release sometime in 2026.