Before His Death, Only One 1D Member Followed Liam Payne on Instagram
"Liam was following every single one of them."
Published Oct. 19 2024, 11:26 a.m. ET
On October 16, 2024, Liam Payne unexpectedly died in a tragic incident while on vacation in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The One Direction singer was 31 years old at the time.
Shortly following his death, his former bandmates shared tributes to their brother Liam, remembering their good times together.
However, it wasn't long before fans realized that many of the boys were not following Liam on Instagram, prompting many to wonder how close they really were.
Only one member of One Direction was following Liam at the time of his death.
In a now-viral TikTok video, user @starg1111rll broke down who was following Liam at the time of his death, and the results were shocking to many.
"Harry unfollowed everyone, Zayn did too," she wrote over a video of herself looking somber. "Louis was the only one following Liam. Not even Niall, who Liam was in Argentina to see originally. Niall followed everyone except Liam."
To add to the Instagram snubs by most of his former boy band mates, she added, "Liam was following every single one of them."
For added context, Zayn Malik only follows 13 people on Instagram (and no one else from 1D), while Harry Styles also doesn't follow any of his former bandmates.
Are One Direction members friends?
Despite the perceived snubs from Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan, on the social media platform, Liam had only good things to say about the guys before his death.
"I get on great with most of them. I had a call from Harry the other day. I love him to pieces," he said on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021.
In an Instagram Live, the "Strip That Down" singer, shared, "I think we've all felt this at different times, me and the boys. It's almost like missing a very dear friend a lot of the time. But everyone's so busy and you’ve got to be understanding of all that."
Right before his death, Liam was able to reconnect with Niall and also gushed about their friendship.
"It's been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We've got a lot to talk about," he said on Snapchat. "And I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that. But we need to talk."
Following his death, One Direction released a joint statement.
"We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly," it read. "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."
