(WS News) – Zayn Malik paid a heartfelt tribute to his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne during the first show of his solo tour.
Malik kicked off his Stairway To The Sky tour in Leeds’s O2 Academy on Saturday after rescheduling the original opening dates in Edinburgh due to Payne’s funeral on Wednesday.
The singer reunited with his fellow bandmates at the private service in Buckinghamshire to pay their final respects to Payne, following his death aged 31 in Argentina last month.
Images shared on social media from Malik’s gig show a message was displayed on a large blue screen behind the singer which said: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro” with a pink heart.
The 31-year-old previously postponed the US leg of his Stairway To The Sky tour over the “heartbreaking loss” of Payne.
He later rescheduled the Edinburgh shows, planned for November 20 and 21, to December due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Following the death of Payne, Malik said he “never got to thank” his fellow bandmate for supporting him through some of the “most difficult” times in his life.
“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 added in a statement shared to Instagram.
“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever.
“There is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated.
“I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro.”
