Liam Payne was honored at the 2025 Grammy Awards three months after his tragic death at the age of 31.
The Recording Academy began the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” montage Sunday night with various clips of the singer-songwriter and his former One Direction bandmates performing over the years.
“We never expected any of this to happen,” Payne marveled at one point. “If you actually sit and think about it, we’ve done some amazing things.”
Chris Martin, who was on stage at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, then broke out into Coldplay’s “All My Love.”
Fans immediately flocked to X.
“Not the tribute starting with LiamPayne and videos from his 1D days #GRAMMYs,” one of them posted.
“Liam Payne being first in the Grammy memoriam and having a little video is something I will never get over,” someone else penned.
“enjoying the grammys and then getting hit with the liampayne tribute felt like getting hit by a semi truck #GRAMMYs,” another viewer remarked.
On Oct. 16, amid an apparent bender, Payne accidentally fell from the third floor of his hotel room at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, likely “in a state of semi or total unconsciousness” due to the cocktail of drugs that was found in his system.
He had been traveling with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, who flew back to their home in Florida two days prior.
The musician died on the spot after suffering multiple traumas, including a fractured skull, that led to internal and external bleeding.
In a statement at the time, the “heartbroken” Payne family told BBC, “Liam will forever live in our hearts, and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
One Direction also publicly mourned their brother’s passing, telling Page Six in a statement that they were “completely devastated.”
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,” they added. “But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole.
This story is developing…