Harry Styles shares song written for Liam Payne on two-year anniversary of death

Harry Styles has shared an unreleased song written for late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne on the two-year anniversary of his death.

The 32-year-old singer marked the occasion with an emotional tribute to his late friend during his performance at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

In videos from the show, Styles said: “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.”

Payne, who rose to fame alongside Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in the chart-topping boyband, died aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina on October 16 2024.

Addressing the New York City venue, Styles continued: “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.”

As Styles continued his heartfelt speech, he acknowledged the “many people” who have “touched my life in such special ways”.

“I wouldn’t be here without them,” he added.

The Grammy-winner then introduced the track – titled What Is Enough – which he said he wrote “for my friend about two years ago”.

One Direction were formed on ITV singing competition The X Factor in 2010 and the group rocketed to global fame.

They are best known for songs such as Story Of My Life, What Makes You Beautiful and Best Song Ever, and had four UK number one singles and four UK number one albums.

The group went on hiatus in 2016, almost a year after Malik left.

Payne, who shares a son with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, enjoyed a successful solo career which saw him achieve six Top 40 singles with tracks such as For You, Get Low and Bedroom Floor.

In February 2025, a court in Argentina dropped charges of criminal negligence against three out of the five people who had been charged in connection with the performer’s death.