On Friday, Zayn Malik paid homage to former One Direction member Liam Payne who fell to his tragic death in October. The singer said he “hopes” Payne saw his show which was held in the late star’s hometown, Wolverhampton. Last week, Malik began his Stairway To The Sky Tour in Leeds ‘02 where he paid his first tribute to the singer with “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro” along with a pink heart written over a blue screen. However, the Pillowtalk singer has not appeared to talk about Payne’s death in the public domain yet.
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Zayn Malik’s tribute to Payne in Wolverhampton
Malik’s performance was held at the University of Wolverhampton venue The Halls. He told the audience present at his show, according to the videos available on social media, “I’ve been doing something, at the end of the show, every night, and it’s been dedicated to my brother Liam Payne. Rest in peace.” The 31-year-old singer added, “I hope you’re seeing this, we’re in your hometown tonight, Wolverhampton, this is for you, Liam.” He then went on to sing It’s You and dedicated it to Payne.
Previously Malik also delayed his first and much-anticipated tour in Edinburgh following the news of Payne’s funeral. The ceremony was also attended by other band members including Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.
After a fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Payne died of “internal and external haemorrhage.” After his death, Malik said that he “never got to thank” his former bandmate for his support during some of the “most difficult” days of his life, as reported by Daily Mail.
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Netizens react to Malik’s tribute in Payne’s hometown
The video of Malik’s song tribute to Payne in the latter’s hometown went viral on social media. One user wrote on X, “It so weird hearing him say Liam Payne and Rest in Peace in the same sentence, I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.” A second user wrote, “’Could it be that is a lesson… that I never had to learn’ I’m not ok currently!!” A third user wrote, “he’d be so proud of you, buddy.”
Another user wrote, “I’m crying and not in a cool way,” while a user wrote, “he’s definitely watching”.
