'Love you bro': Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne during concert

Zayn Malik paid tribute to his late bandmate, Liam Payne, on the opening day of his concert in England. Payne tragically died after an accident on October 16.

In Short

• Zayn Malik paid tribute to Liam Payne at his concert
• He expressed love and remembrance for his late bandmate
• Payne, 31, died from a fall in Argentina

Singer Zayn Malik paid a heartfelt tribute to Liam Payne during his first concert at Stairway to the Sky tour. Malik, who attended Payne's funeral on Wednesday, flashed the words "Love you bro", remembering his former One Direction bandmate. Payne, 31, died on October 16 after falling from the third floor of his hotel balcony in Argentina.

Zayn Malik kicked off his Stairway to the Sky tour on Saturday night at O2 Academy Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. During the end of his performance, he remembered Payne with a heartfelt gesture, leaving One Direction fans emotional.

It is to be noted that Malik used the same words in his condolence note for Payne on October 18.

Take a look:

Zayn, along with his former One Direction members, attended Payne's funeral on November 20.

In his long note on X, Zayn condoled Payne's death. "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 (sic)," he wrote, while sharing a throwback photo.

He also thanked Payne for supporting him when he was missing home as a 17-year-old kid. "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 have always respected you for it. (sic)," he recalled.

The Pillowtalk singer complimented Payne, calling him the most qualified singer in every sense. He wrote, "I knew nothing in comparison. I was a novoice 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 (sic)."

Here is the post:

Zayn called Payne his brother. He added, "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. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated."

Zayn concluded his note with the words, "I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro (sic)."

One Direction, the popular band formed in 2010, included Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Zayn Malik. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.