Zayn Malik, Liam Payne Andrew Benge/Getty Images ; Karwai Tang/WireImage ; Andrew Benge/Getty Images
As Zayn Malik closed out his first stop on his Stairway to the Sky Tour, he paid homage to late former bandmate Liam Payne.
Ahead of Malik’s encore during the Saturday, November 23, show at the O2 Academy in Leeds, the lights flickered off and back on. When the power returned, a memorial graphic was shown on the wall.
“Liam Payne 1993-2024,” the sign read. “Love you bro ❤️.”
According to additional fan footage, Malik’s song “Stardust” played in the background.
From the moment One Direction was formed, Liam Payne found himself with four additional brothers for life. Thanks to the creative minds of The X Factor UK judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Payne came together in 2010 to create a life-changing boy band. […]
Malik, 31, and Payne met as two-fifths of British boy band One Direction alongside Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles. Malik was the first to leave the group, announcing his exit in March 2015. The remaining 1D lads went on their own indefinite hiatus in January 2016.
Nearly eight years later, Payne died at the age of 31 after suffering a fatal fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Malik and the other 1D singers offered their condolences via heartfelt social media tributes.
“Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there are so many more conversations for us to have in our lives,” Malik wrote via Instagram on October 17. “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17-year-old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know that you were my friend and that I [was] loved.”
He added, “Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f— about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it. When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense.”
Stefania D’Alessandro/Getty Images Liam Payne and Zayn Malik experienced a series of ups and downs over the years. Both musicians were thrust into the spotlight alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson while on The X Factor in 2010 to form One Direction. After releasing four albums as a group, Malik announced his departure […]
Malik reunited with Tomlinson, 32, Horan, 31, and Styles, 30, at Payne’s funeral in England earlier this week. The musicians were spotted entering St Mary’s Church separately, all accompanied by former tour manager Paul Higgins. Their cars even featured the bat signal in a subtle tribute to Payne, who was a fan of the Batman franchise.
Payne is survived by parents Geoff and Karen, older sisters Ruth and Nicola and 7-year-old son Bear. The late “Teardrops” singer shared his only child with ex Cheryl Cole, who also attended the funeral alongside Payne’s family.
