Justin Bieber felt ‘chills’ after Liam Payne’s heartfelt confession to him following apparent feud

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Liam Payne and Justin Bieber weren’t always the buddies people came to know them as - they actually had a bit of a rivalry back in the day. Fans of both pop stars often went at it online, making comparisons and stirring up tension between the two.

But all of that changed after Liam opened up about some of his personal struggles — and it led to a surprising heart-to-heart between him and Justin.

The tragic demise of Liam Payne and Justin Bieber's tribute

News broke on October 16 that Liam had tragically died at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. He’d been there with his girlfriend, planning to see his old One Direction bandmate Niall Horan perform.

But the night took a dark turn. Liam’s fall left him with devastating injuries — including a fractured skull. Reports later revealed he was under the influence of drugs at the time.

Among those affected was Bieber. The 'Baby' singer shared a touching tribute featuring videos of fans around the world gathering to grieve.

The montage of clips showed fans coming together in places like London, Paris, New York, and Sydney - leaving flowers, photos, and candles in memory of Liam. Justin wrote alongside the video, "Rest easy, Liam."

Meanwhile, a voiceover played in the background: “Just remember, you are allowed to grieve as a fan. You are allowed to love someone you've never met. You are allowed to admire someone for their art. You are allowed to cry, to pray, to feel like a part of you is gone. Even if they never knew your name, they changed your world.”

Liam Payne's confession changed everything between him and Justin Bieber

Liam and Justin weren't always so tight. There was a time when they seemed like rivals as fans and the media always compared the two pop sensations. Things got tense during an Instagram exchange where Liam — admittedly drunk — took a playful jab at Justin.

When someone brought up the 'Stay' hitmaker, Liam quipped, "The only thing between me and him is I haven't been arrested," referring to Justin’s DUI incident from years back.

But later on, Liam set the record straight during an interview on Logan Paul's show — finally getting real about where he stood with Justin. He admitted that the snarky remark came out wrong and that deep down he always had empathy for the 'Peaches' singer.

“I’ve always felt for you,” Liam confessed. “Number one, I've done all the things you've done and never been caught. Number two, I've always really felt for you, mate, and I think we all suffer from the same struggle in our situation.”

Liam even admitted that he was lucky to have had his One Direction bandmates to lean on when things got tough, while Justin didn’t have that same kind of support. “In your camp, you're you, and there's no one like you, so you can't turn around and have that shoulder to lean on,” he acknowledged.

After hearing Liam’s words, Justin was genuinely moved. According to Billboard, Bieber told Liam that the whole thing gave him "chills." Liam remembered the moment: “And he was like, ‘Bro, that’s giving me chills.’”

The details surrounding Liam’s last hours are rather tough to hear. A hotel manager had called 911, saying there was a guest who was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room.” By the time police showed up, it was too late - Liam had already fallen and the injuries were fatal.

An initial autopsy indicated that he had drugs in his system, and later reports confirmed it, including a dangerous substance called “pink cocaine" — a dangerous mix that often includes ketamine — MDMA, and other drugs. Now, authorities are digging into who might’ve supplied him with the drugs.