Zayn Malik pays tribute to Liam Payne during 'Stairway to the Sky' Tour

Zayn Malik's musical tour kicked off this month—with most shows pushed to early next year

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Zayn Malik pays tribute to Liam Payne during Stairway to the Sky Tour
Zayn Malik pays tribute to Liam Payne during 'Stairway to the Sky' Tour

One Direction alum Zayn Malik paid homage to his late bandmate Liam Payne at a recent concert.

Malik's tribute came as he ended his show at O2 Academy in Leeds, England on Saturday.

“Liam Payne 1993-2024,” the screen read over a blue background with a red heart. “Love you bro.”

Zayn Malik pays tribute to Liam Payne during Stairway to the Sky Tour

This marked Malik's first show since Payne’s death. During the show, the Pillowtalk singer, 31, played his second-to-last song, a message about Payne appeared as his track Stardust played, per fan-made footage.

Malik's tribute came three days after Malik attended Payne’s funeral alongside his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan. 

The gathering also marked the first time he had been spotted publicly with them since he exited the group in 2015. Malik's appearance at the funeral also came shortly after he rescheduled dates for his tour. 

On October 19, three days after Payne's death, the singer announced on Instagram that, "Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week,” he would be postponing the United States leg of his upcoming tour.

"Love you all and thank you for your understanding,” he wrote at the time.

The first show was originally scheduled for October 23 and it has since been rescheduled for early next year. Besides the Leeds show, Malik has numerous other concerts lined up in the United Kingdom, including Manchester, London, Wolverhampton, and Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Payne fell to his death on October 16 from a balcony at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

The singer succumbed to multiple injuries and "internal and external" hemorrhages by the time medics reached him, per a preliminary autopsy report.