Zayn Malik's tribute to the late Liam Payne at Leeds gig has left fans teary-eyed. During the inaugural night of his Stairway to the Sky Tour at O2 Academy in Leeds, Zayn honoured his former One Direction mate, Liam – who tragically passed away last month – with a touching on-screen homage.
While the Dusk Till Dawn artist didn't vocally mention Liam during the show, a heartfelt visual popped up towards its climax. Onlookers shared clips online showing a blue backdrop on stage with a poignant red heart and the words: "Liam Payne 1993 - 2024. Love you bro." sung across to Zayn's tune Stardust.
Earlier in the week, the One Direction stars, including Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson attended Liam's funeral, alongside their ex-mentor Simon Cowell, and James Corden and Cheryl. Zayn – who'd left the band back in March 2015 – was set to start his tour in the US but delayed it until next year due to the mourning.
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He said on Instagram: "Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I've made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour. The dates are being rescheduled for January and I'll post them as soon as it's all set in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. Love you all and thank you for your understanding."
A few weeks later, he rescheduled his gigs at the O2 Academy Edinburgh which had been due to take place on 20 November - the day of Liam's funeral - and the day after. The shows will now take place on December 8 and 9.
Following Liam's death, Zayn paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend on Instagram: "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.
"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 you were my friend and that I was loved.
"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. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.
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"When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional.
"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."
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