Harry Styles paid tribute to Liam Payne last night (October 16) on the second anniversary of the late One Direction star’s death.
Payne died aged 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina after falling from the balcony of an Argentine hotel on October 16, in 2024. The Argentine prosecutor’s office revealed that the 31-year-old’s cause of death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding.
During his ongoing 30-night residency in New York, Styles told the crowd: “I feel incredibly lucky to get to play these shows here in New York, and this building means a lot to me
“There are so many people in my life, friends and people that I’ve worked with that I wouldn’t have been able to do this without. And two years ago today, I lost one of those friends.”
Harry Styles introducing the song he wrote for Liam:
"I feel incredibly lucky to get to play these shows here in New York, and, uhm, this building means a lot to me as I said, and I feel incredibly proud when I get to look up there, and see my name up there from the last time.… pic.twitter.com/t2M6QxRFTe
— OT5 Daily (@OT5Dailys) October 17, 2026
He went on: “I’m sure a lot of you have been through similar things. I hope you haven’t. But really, it’s just about looking after each other. So many people who have touched my life in such special ways. I wouldn’t be here without.
“I’m gonna play you a song I wrote for my friend about two years ago, if that’s all right.”
Harry Styles singing "What is Enough" in honour to Liam
(full song)
pic.twitter.com/KaByScfPRy— OT5 Daily (@OT5Dailys) October 17, 2026
The singer then performed moving new track ‘What Is Enough’. The song saw Styles gently strumming his guitar while he sang the poignant lyric: “You dance until you’re tired.”
One Direction bandmate Niall Horan previously looked back on memories he shared with Payne, and said that grief had brought a mixture of “sadness” alongside fond reflection.
Before then, Styles said the death of his former bandmate made him re-evaluate how he saw life, and Louis Tomlinson addressed the loss and said it was “impossibly difficult for him to deal with”.
Styles’ latest tribute comes after he also recently paid tribute to Oscar Belgal after he was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
The incident took place earlier this month, when the 28-year-old man was shot in his car on October 8, while his five-year-old son was sitting in the back seat. Belgal survived and is now being held at a detention facility.
Styles’ 30 nights at New York’s iconic venue kicked off at the end of August and has so far seen him pay tribute to Dolly Parton and also make a reference to Taylor Swift’s wedding, which was held at the same venue.
The dates come as part of his ongoing ‘Together, Together’ tour, which has also seen him play a record-breaking 12 shows at London’s Wembley Stadium, as well as dates in Amsterdam, São Paulo and Mexico City.
His Madison Square Garden shows will conclude with a “Harryween” show on October 31, before he plays more dates in Melbourne and Sydney in December.
The 2027 dates come in collaboration with Green Nation – Live Nation’s global sustainability initiative – to reduce emissions and encourage lower-impact travel options for fans where available. At all dates, the singer will continue to support Choose Love for a 10th year, and in the US, proceeds will be donated to HeadCount, which helps use music to register voters and promote democratic participation.
The tour comes in support of his fourth solo album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally’, which was released in March, and NME caught the tour in Amsterdam, giving it a glowing five-star review and hailing it as “a hopeful celebration of community and connection”.
The post Harry Styles pays tribute to Liam Payne on anniversary of One Direction star’s death with moving new song ‘What Is Enough’ appeared first on NME.