Liam Payne death: Zayn Malik pays tribute to former One Direction bandmate at Leeds concert
Zayn Malik shared a sweet tribute to his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne at his comeback show over the weekend.
The Pillowtalk singer returned to the stage on Saturday (Sunday in Australia) in Leeds for his first show since his former bandmate’s death on October 16.
At the end of his debut show on the Stairway to the Sky Tour, Malik left a special message dedicated to Payne on the screen.
Watch the video above.
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After Malik wrapped his final song Stardust, the stage went dark before the words, ”Liam Payne, 1993-2024, Love you Bro,” lit up on screen with a red heart at the bottom.
In fan-captured videos from the concert, the crowd erupted in cheers seeing the tribute.
“My heart breaks seeing zayn’s tribute for liam at his first ever tour,” someone said on X.
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“The tribute Zayn did at his show for Liam gets me every time I see it,” another wrote.
“Im sure liam is smiling so big watching you do your thing, zayn,” a third commented.
The heartbreaking tribute comes just days after Malik attended Payne’s funeral with his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
Payne tragically died last month while staying at a hotel in Buenos Aires.
Malik first paid tribute to his former bandmate one day after his death, writing that he was “beyond devastated”.
“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly,” he wrote in a lengthy statement.
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The singer signed off: “I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and at peace 🙏🏽 and you know how loved you are. Love you bro.”
After Payne’s death, Malik announced he was postponing the US leg of his first solo tour due to the “heartbreaking loss”.
One Direction was formed in 2010 on The X Factor UK. Malik was the first to leave the group in 2015 before the band announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
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