Zayn Malik pays tribute to his ‘brother’ Liam Payne as he performs for the first time since One Direction star’s death

Zayn Malik paid tribute to his ‘brother’ Liam Payne as he returned to the stage for the first time since his former bandmate’s death on Saturday.

The 31-year-old singer, who rescheduled some concert dates following his tragic death, performed at Leeds 02 Academy as part of his Stairway To The Sky tour.

Liam died on October 16 after falling from the third floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina, while his One Direction bandmates were seen together in public for the first time in nine years as they paid their respects at his funeral on Wednesday.

Opening his performance at the weekend, Zayn stood in front of a backdrop that read: ‘Liam Payne 1993-2024. I love you bro,” and a red heart.

The message, shared widely on social media, left the crowd in tears.

Zayn’s first-ever solo tour was due to kick off in San Francisco on October 23, the US dates have now been postponed until January, and an Edinburgh show, which was due to take place on the same day as Liam’s funeral, has been moved to December 8. .

Zayn Malik paid tribute to his ‘brother’ Liam Payne as he returned to the stage on Saturday for the first time since his former bandmate’s death

The singer, 31, performed at Leeds 02 Academy as part of his Stairway To The Sky tour in front of a backdrop that read: ‘Liam Payne 1993-2024. I love you bro,” and a red heart

Former bandmates Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Louis Tomlinson, 32, and Zayn arrived separately at the church for a poignant final farewell.

Harry was dressed in black and pulled up to the funeral in a BMW, while Niall attended with his girlfriend Amelia Woolley, while Zayn Malik arrived shortly after Louis.

Zayn was the first to leave One Direction in August 2015 due to ‘stress’ after pulling out of the group’s world tour. The band officially announced their split in January 2016, breaking the hearts of millions of fans around the world.

Last week he revealed that his performances due to take place in Edinburgh next week had been rescheduled due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

Sharing a poster of the new dates via his tour management’s socials, an accompanying statement read: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, Zayn’s original Stairway To The Sky Edinburgh show, scheduled for November 20, has been rescheduled to December 8.

‘A new date on November 21st at the same O2 Academy Edinburgh location has been moved to December 9th. All tickets for the original show dates will be honored on the rescheduled dates.”

Despite fans being disappointed with the news, many took to social media to express their concerns for Zayn’s well-being and sent him supportive messages telling him to ‘prioritize his mental health’, assuming the delay was related he was still grieving the loss of Liam. .

They wrote, “We love you @zaynmalik. Take all the time you need, we will support you no matter what.”

Liam died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, with Zayn rescheduling a number of concert dates following his tragic death (pictured together in 2013)

His One Direction bandmates were seen together in public for the first time in nine years on Wednesday as they paid their respects at his funeral

“@zaynmalik, I’m so proud of you for deciding to prioritize your mental health. Don’t worry about us. We will wait as long as you need. Take as much time as you want. We know how you feel, you are not alone. We mourn together. We love you Zayn.”

“Zayn, we are always on your side, taking all the time you need; Sending all my love to zayn, stay strong z ❤️‍; @zaynmalik, be careful, please’.

“Honestly, Zayn has every right to schedule the tour as far away as necessary. He has lost a friend, if he doesn’t feel like performing, we have to respect that. If he feels like performing, we should respect that too. His well-being comes first and those who love him will understand.”

‘I really hope Zayn is doing well ❤️‍; I hope no one makes it difficult for Zayn to postpone any more dates. This time he can grieve for as long as he needs to.”

Following Liam’s unexpected death at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last month, Zayn announced he was postponing the US dates of his tour.

He wrote: “Given the heartbreaking loss I have experienced this week, I have made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour.

‘The dates will be moved to January and I will post them in the coming days once everything is known. Your tickets remain valid for the new dates. I love you all and thank you for your understanding.”

Last week, Zayn revealed that his performances due to take place in Edinburgh next week had been rescheduled due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

The UK leg will see him play in Leeds, Manchester, London, Wolverhampton and Newcastle, before the rescheduled dates in Edinburgh.

He will perform hits from his new album Room Under the Stairs, which he wrote over the past six years in rural Pennsylvania and released in May this year, where it debuted at number three in the UK Albums Chart.

An American music producer who worked with Zayn previously told the Daily Mail that the singer is “in absolute pain” over Liam’s sudden death.

They added that his loved ones “don’t want him to be alone” at this time so are making sure he is “surrounded by his friends.”