Zayn Malik paid a heartfelt tribute to his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne during the first show of his solo tour.
Malik kicked off his Stairway To The Sky tour at Leeds’ O2 Academy on Saturday after rescheduling the original opening dates in Edinburgh due to Payne’s funeral on Wednesday.
The singer joined his bandmates at the private service in Buckinghamshire to pay their last respects to Payne, following his death aged 31 in Argentina last month.
Images shared on social media from Malik’s concert show a message on a large blue screen behind the singer that read: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. I love you brother” with a pink heart.
The 31-year-old musician previously postponed the US leg of his Stairway To The Sky tour over the “heartbreaking loss” of Payne.
He later rescheduled the Edinburgh shows, scheduled for November 20 and 21, to December due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Following Payne’s death, Malik said he “could never thank” his bandmate for supporting him through some of the “most difficult” times of his life.
“I lost a brother when you left us and I can’t explain to you what I would give to give you one last hug and say goodbye properly and tell you that I loved and respected you very much,” he added. in a statement shared on Instagram.
“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever.
“There are no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated.
“I hope that wherever you are now you are well and at peace and know how loved you are. I love you brother.”
The singer rose to fame alongside Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan when Simon Cowell brought them together to form One Direction on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010.
Malik left One Direction in 2015 before the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016, with all members continuing with their own solo careers.
Payne died on October 16 of multiple traumas and “internal and external hemorrhage” after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, according to a post-mortem examination report.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation into his death and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.
Fans around the world have continued to hold vigils in Payne’s memory.
Malik is scheduled to play a series of UK dates, including shows in London, Wolverhampton, Newcastle and Manchester, over the final two months of this year before beginning the US leg in January.