Harry Styles paid tribute to his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne with a new song during his concert at Madison Square Garden — two years after Payne’s tragic death.
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Styles → pay → death
“I feel incredibly lucky to get to play these shows here in New York, and this building means a lot to me, as I said.
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I → feel → me
And I feel incredibly proud when I get to look up there and see my name up there,” Styles, 32, said, before introducing the never-before-heard track.
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Styles → feel → track
The “As It Was” singer went on to reflect on the loss of his former bandmate, telling the audience, “There are so many people in my life, friends and people [who] I’ve worked with, that I wouldn’t have been able to do this without.”
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I → go → this
“And two years ago today, I lost one of those friends.”
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I → lose → friends
“I’m sure a lot of you have been through similar things,” Styles continued.
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Styles → ’m → things
“I hope you haven’t, but really, it’s just about looking after each other.”
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it → hope → other
“There’s so many more people behind it, so many people [who] have touched my life in such special ways.
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who → ’ → ways
I wouldn’t be here without them,” he said, before performing the song he “wrote for [his] friend.”
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he → say → friend
Shortly after Payne’s death, Styles and his former bandmates, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, paid tribute to their late friend in a rare joint statement before coming together for the first time in nearly nine years at his funeral in the UK.
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Styles → pay → UK
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” the statement read.
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statement → devastate → passing
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.
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everyone → say → time
But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
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we → take → who
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” it continued.
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it → share → him
“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us.
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who → love → us
We will miss him terribly.
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We → miss → him
We love you, Liam.”
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We → love → you
“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” he wrote.
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he → make → it
“Liam lived wide-open, with his heart on his sleeve.
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Liam → live → sleeve
He had an energy for life that was infectious.
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that → have → life
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life.
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we → spend → life
I will miss him always, my lovely friend,” Styles added, before expressing his heartbreak for Payne’s family, his son, Bear, and “all those around the world who knew and loved him as I did.”
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I → miss → him
“I think there was a period when he passed away where I really struggled with kind of, like, acknowledging how strange it is to have people kind of, like, part of your grief in a way,” he said.
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he → think → way
“It’s so difficult to lose a friend.
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It → ’ → friend
It’s difficult to lose any friend, but it’s so difficult to lose a friend who is so like you in so many ways,” Styles added.
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Styles → ’ → ways
“It’s like, I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great.”
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who → ’ → heart
Conversation
Your voice matters.
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voice → matter → ?
Discussions are moderated for civility.
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Discussions → moderate → civility
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