‘Love you bro’: Zayn Malik’s tribute to Liam Payne at first show since former bandmate’s death
Zayn Malik paid tribute to former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne as he kicked off his solo tour.
Payne died last month of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, according to a post-mortem.
Images from Leeds’s O2 Academy on Saturday showed Malik – who delayed his Stairway To The Sky tour due to Payne’s funeral on Wednesday – shared a tribute.
A message was displayed with a heart on a large blue screen behind the singer reading: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro.”
The 31-year-old also previously postponed the US leg of the tour after the “heartbreaking loss”.
He later rescheduled the Edinburgh shows, which had been planned for 20 and 21 November, to December due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Following Payne’s death, Malik said he “never got to thank” him for his support during some of the “most difficult” times.
“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever,” he said in a post on Instagram.
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Malik rose to fame in 2010 when Simon Cowell teamed him up with Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan on talent show The X Factor.
Malik left the band in 2015 and all members went on to pursue their own solo careers.
An investigation has been launched into Payne’s death by prosecutors and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.
