Zayn Malik pays emotional tribute to Liam Payne in first performance since his death

Zayn Malik paid tribute to Liam Payne on the opening night of his solo tour (Image: WireImage)

Zayn Malik honoured his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne during the opening night of his new solo tour, Stairway To The Sky, at the O2 Academy in Leeds.

The tour commenced shortly after Liam's funeral, with the Pillowtalk singer, 31, moving fans to tears with a heartfelt message for his ex-bandmate and friend.

Displayed on a large blue screen, the tribute read: "Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro."

This touching sentiment, accompanied by a heart emoji, was widely circulated on social media after it left the audience weeping.

Originally, Zayn's debut solo tour was due to kick off in San Francisco on October 23. However, following Liam's death, he chose to delay these dates until January.

He had also planned a performance in Edinburgh on the same day as Liam's funeral, but rescheduled it for December 8. The artist also notified his followers that another gig, initially set for November 21, has been rescheduled to December 9.

Displayed on a large blue screen, the tribute read: "Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro." (Image: X/updatingljp)

Both Liam and Zayn skyrocketed to fame in 2010 when they became members of One Direction on the X Factor, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

Liam tragically died at the age of 31 after falling from a balcony in Argentina on October 16. Learning of his friend's heartbreaking death, Zayn penned an emotional tribute, expressing deep regret for not having the chance to share his gratitude for the support he received during some of his toughest times.

On Instagram, Zayn wrote: "Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can't help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life."

He continued to reminisce about their past, saying: "When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved.

Zayn and Liam shot to fame in 2010 when they became members of One Direction (Image: Getty Images)

"Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f***s about telling people when they were wrong."

Reflecting on their relationship, Zayn added: "Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.

"I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next. I lost a brother when you left us and can't explain to you what l'd give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye."

Zayn, who departed from One Direction in 2015, was present at Liam's funeral on Wednesday (November 20), joining all his ex-bandmates.