Harry Styles has paid a subtle tribute to his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne after announcing his fourth studio album on Thursday evening.
The singer, 31, who was in the boyband with Liam for around six years, honoured his friend in a sweet way while announcing his new music.Â
Liam died from polytrauma age 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16, 2024.
His funeral, which was held in Amersham, Bucks, was attended by all of his former bandmates; Harry, Zayn Mailk, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
One of the floral tributes visible on the day was in the shape of a set of bowling pins, which were a nod to Liam’s favourite pastime.
This was referenced by Harry in the images to announce his new album, where he is wearing a bowling pin print shirt underneath a yellow jumper and red tie.
Harry Styles has paid a subtle tribute to his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne after announcing his fourth studio album on Thursday evening
One of the floral tributes visible on the day was in the shape of a set of bowling pins, which were a nod to Liam’s favourite pastime (pictured beside Liam’s son Bear’s tribute)
Harry (pictured with Liam in 2013) wrote: ‘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’
Liam had spent his birthday in August bowling with his family and girlfriend Kate Cassidy just weeks before he fell from the hotel balcony.
Following Liam’s death, Harry and the rest of the band described feeling ‘completely devastated’Â
‘In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,’ they said.
‘But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
‘The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
‘We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’
Louis, Harry and Zayn all later released separate tributes.
Harry wrote on Instagram that he was ‘truly devastated’ and will ‘miss him always’.
Following the band’s joint statement hours, the singer took to Instagram to share his own emotional message to his pal, who he described as ‘warm, supportive and incredibly loving’
‘His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
‘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. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.
‘My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew him and loved him, as I did.’