“Love you bro.”
Zayn Malik paid tribute to his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne at his first live performance since his death.
Payne died aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina last month.
Following the tragic news, Malik postponed his tour dates in the US.
“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 singer wrote at the time.
Malik also rescheduled his two Edinburgh dates, which was where the UK leg of his tour was originally supposed to start, due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
He moved the shows scheduled for 20 and 21 November to 8 and 9 December, respectively.
Payne was laid to rest on Wednesday at his funeral in Amersham in Buckinghamshire.
All four of his former One Direction bandmates were in attendance, alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his former partner Cheryl, with whom he shares his son Bear.
Last night in Leeds, Malik commenced his tour, and paid tribute to his former bandmate in an emotional moment.
Playing the O2 Academy Leeds, the 31-year-old paid tribute to his late co-star as his show ended.
Following his final song ‘Stardust’, a sign came up on the stage which read: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro.”
In a statement on Instagram, Malik previously said he would “cherish all the memories I have with [Liam] in my heart forever”.
“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly,” he penned.
