Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson’s friendship started off rocky but the One Direction singers shared a close relationship before Liam’s death
Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson were connected for life through their stint in One Direction, which became one of the most successful boy bands of all time.
But their friendship wasn’t always smooth-sailing, with the late “Teardrops” singer admitting he and Tomlinson, 32, “hated” each other at the beginning of their boy band journey.
Later, their bond became unbreakable as they pair openly expressed their adoration for one another in recent years in touching public tributes and interviews.
As news breaks about Payne’s tragic death at age 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, October 16, Us Weekly looks back at the bromance between the two 1D stars.
After auditioning for the UK’s X Factor in 2008 but getting cut for being too young, Payne returned two years later for a second shot at fame. Along with Harry Styles, 30, Zayn Malik, 31, and Niall Horan, 31, Payne and Tomlinson were offered the chance to join forces as a boy band. When they all agreed, this marked the beginning of the pop sensation One Direction.
Payne spoke about how his bond with Tomlinson and the rest of his One Direction bandmates helped him through the demands and pressures at their peak of their success.
“We just take each day as it comes,” Payne told E! News in 2013. “The thing about us is we’re not taking it too seriously. We’re just here to have a bit of a laugh, and then whatever else comes with it is great.”
When asked about the possibility of one day moving on to a solo career if One Direction were to disband, Payne added that he would miss the camaraderie.
“It kinda scares me a little bit to be honest with you,” Payne told the outlet. “I like having the comfort of the other lads on stage.”
He added, “There’s always someone to chat to.”
One Direction shocked their fans by pulling the plug on the band, but insisted at the time they were only going on “hiatus” for an estimated 18-month period.
In 2016, tragedy struck Tomlinson’s life when his mother Johannah Deakin died from leukemia at age 43.
