Zayn Malik paid tribute to his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne on the opening night of his new solo tour, Stairway To The Sky, at the O2 Academy in Leeds.

The tour began shortly after Liam’s funeral, with the Pillowtalk singer, 31, bringing fans to tears with a heartfelt message to his ex-bandmate and friend.

The tribute was displayed on a large blue screen: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro.”

This touching sentiment, accompanied by a heart emoji, was widely shared on social media after it left audiences in tears.

Originally, Zayn’s debut solo tour was set to kick off in San Francisco on October 23rd. But after Liam’s death, he chose to postpone those dates until January.

He had also planned to perform in Edinburgh on the day of Liam’s funeral, but rescheduled it to December 8. The artist also informed his followers that another gig, originally scheduled for November 21st, has been moved to December 9th.

Both Liam and Zayn shot to fame in 2010 when they became members of One Direction on The X Factor, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

Liam died tragically at the age of 31 after falling from a balcony in Argentina on October 16. Upon learning of his friend’s heartbreaking death, Zayn penned an emotional tribute, expressing deep regret that he didn’t get the chance to share his gratitude for the support he received during that time. some of his toughest times.

On InstagramZayn wrote: “Liam, I’ve found myself talking out loud to you and hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but selfishly think there were so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I got never to thank you for supporting me through some of the hardest times of my life.”

Continuing to reminisce about their past, he said: “When I was homesick at 17, you were always there with a positive attitude and a reassuring smile, telling me you were my friend and that I was loved.

“Even though you were younger than me, you were always more sensible than me, you were opinionated, opinionated and didn’t give a damn about telling people when they were wrong.”

Reflecting on their relationship, Zayn added: “Even though we butted heads about it a few times, I’ve always secretly respected you for it.

“I was always glad to know, no matter what happened on stage, we could always count on you to know which way to steer the ship next. I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I would give to just give you one last hug and say goodbye.”

Zayn, who left One Direction in 2015, was in attendance at Liam’s funeral on Wednesday (November 20) and joined all his ex-bandmates.